Of what use is a philosopher who doesn't hurt anybody's feelings?
DiogenesRead
Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that the line between sanity and madness is very thin.
Diogenes' assertion reflects a profound insight into human nature, suggesting that the distinction between sanity and madness is precariously narrow. It invites contemplation on the fragility of the human mind, encouraging individuals to recognize the fine line that separates rational behavior from irrationality, and may prompt a deeper exploration of what constitutes normalcy in our thoughts and actions.
Themes
SanityMadnessHuman NaturePhilosophyFragility
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about human behavior.
More from Diogenes
All quotes βThe art of being a slave is to rule one's master.
DiogenesRead
As a matter of self-preservation, a man needs good friends or ardent enemies, for the former instruct him and the latter take him to task.
DiogenesRead
I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.
DiogenesRead
We come into the world alone and we die alone. Why, in life, should we be any less alone?
DiogenesRead
All things are in common among friends.
DiogenesRead
Similar quotes
Knowing there is a world that will outlive you, there are people whose well-being depends on how you live your life, affects the way you live your life, whether or not you directly experience those effects. You want to be the kind of person who has the larger view, who takes other people's interests into account, who's dedicated to the principles that you can justify, like justice, knowledge, truth, beauty and morality.
Steven PinkerRead
..the United States is subject to the scrutiny of a candid world ... what the United States does, for good or for ill, continues to be watched by the international community, in particular by organizations concerned with the advancement of the rule of law and respect for human dignity.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead
We live not, in reality, on the summit of a solid earth but at the bottom of an ocean of air
ThalesRead
When people get taken over by the ego to such an extent, there is nothing else in their mind except the ego. They can no longer feel or sense their humanity - what they share with other human beings, or even with other life forms on the planet. They are so identified with concepts in their minds that other human beings become concepts as well.
Eckhart TolleRead
If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by posterity because he was the last to discover America.
James JoyceRead