Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.36 — Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.36
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
Of the many disciples of Zeno the following are the most famous: Persaeus, son of Demetrius, of Citium, whom some call a pupil and others one of the household, one of those sent him by Antigonus to act as secretary; he had been tutor to Antigonus’s son Halcyoneus. And Antigonus once, wishing to make trial of him, caused some false news to be brought to him that his estate had been ravaged by the enemy, and as his countenance fell, “Do you see,” said he, “that wealth is not a matter of indifference?” The following works are by Persaeus: Of Kingship. The Spartan Constitution. Of Marriage. Of Impiety. Thyestes. Of Love. Exhortations. Interludes. Four books of Anecdotes. Memorabilia. A Reply to Plato’s Laws in seven books.
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.36 (on Zeno), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.36
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book VII, tr. R. D. Hicks (Loeb, 1925). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesIntroduces Zeno's best-known students, starting with one whom a king tricked with false news that his estate had been plundered; his dismay showed that he did care about wealth after all, whatever his theory about it. Then a list of that student's book titles.
Older wording
- “matter of indifference”
- — something the Stoics call neither good nor bad in itself, like money
- “ravaged”
- — plundered or devastated
- “countenance”
- — facial expression
Themes and situations
- Wealth and poverty
- Learning and progress
Quote cards
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