- Xenophanes quotes from BrainyQuote.com Xenophanes legacy is he laid the foundations of reason in Greek ethical and religious thinking that led to a systematic approach to scientific thinking. In the beginning the gods did not at all reveal all things clearly to mortals, but by searching men in the course of time find them out better. The sea is the source of water and the source of wind; for neither would blasts of wind arise in the clouds and blow out from within them, except for the great sea, nor would the streams of rivers nor the rain-water in the sky exist but for the sea ; but the great sea is the begetter of clouds and winds and rivers. Xenophanes Quotes Xenophanes of Colophon (Greek Ξενοφάνης ὁ Κολοφώνιος, Xenophánes; 570 – 480 BC) was a Greek philosopher, poet, and social and religious critic. It's where you share this knowledge that counts. He remains always in the same place, without moving. Some scholars say he lived in exile in Sicily. Xenophanes of Colophon was a Greek philosopher, theologian, poet, and social and religious critic. He explained the limitations of human knowledge and eloquently pointed out that beliefs should be classed as opinions and not truths so as to avoid the pitfalls of dogmatism. Men will even give their lives if only the ordeal does not last long but is soon over, with all looking on and applauding as though on stage. If oxen and lions had hands and could paint with their hands and produce works of art, as men do, horses would paint the forms of the gods likes horses and oxen like oxen. Click here to download a free excerpt from the book. It takes a wise man to recognize a wise man. He lived a life of travel, leaving Ionia at the age of 25 and continuing to travel throughout the Greek world for another 67 years. Lesher gave this assessment of his work: "Without explicitly announcing their banishment, Xenophanes has dispatched an array of traditional sea, river, cloud, wind, and rain deities to the explanatory sidelines", The philosopher Plato shared this observation: "The Eleatic school, beginning with Xenophanes and even earlier, starts from the principle of the unity of all things", The biologist Theophrastus simply described Xenophanes’ teaching as: "The all is one and the one is God", A warm Social Media Welcome to those who believe in the power of dreams, Click Here To Check Or Change Cookie Settings, 560 BC, Colophon, Ancient Greece (now Turkey), Died: 478 BC, Elea, Ancient Greece (now Italy), Occupation: Poet, philosopher and social critic, Existing works: In total 45 fragments of his poetry and testimonia have survived the ravages of time, Poetry preserved by: Fragments of his poetry and works were mostly preserved to history by Athenaeus, Sextus Empiricus, and Simplicius, Historical importance: An important part of the Ancient Greek jigsaw linking the early Greek poets Hesiot and Homer with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, Best known for: Criticising and applying rational thinking to theocratic beliefs and scientific discourse, Trivia: Not fully recognised in the traditional sense of an ancient Greek philosopher mostly because insufficient fragments of his work remain to classify him as such. Indeed, the historical author F.R. Follow AzQuotes on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. If cows and horses had hands and could draw, cows would draw gods that look like cows and horses would draw gods that look like horses. There is one god, greatest among gods and men, who bears no similarity to humans either in shape or thought... but humans believe that the gods are born like themselves, and that the gods wear clothes and have bodies like humans and speak in the same way... but if cows and horses or lions had hands or could draw with the hands and manufacture the things humans can make, then horses would draw the forms of gods like horses, cows like cows, and they would make the gods' bodies resemble those which each kind of animal had itself. Humility may be taken for granted as existing in every sane human being, but it may be that it most truly manifests itself today in the readiness with which we bow to new truths as they come from the scholars, the teachers, to whom the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding. Be the first to learn about new releases! He was the most discussed of all the Pre-Socratic philosophers and his influence was felt by all Greek thinkers up until Aristotle's era who pigeon holed him as the founder of Eleatic philosophy. Xenophanes Quotes. But without effort [God] sets in motion all things by mind and thought. Xenophanes quotes from YourDictionary: This is a sworn treaty made between us, Hannibal ... and Xenophanes the Athenian ... in the presence of all the gods who possess Macedonia and the … Everything comes from earth and everything ends in earth. Better than the strength of men and horses is our wisdom. By observing the testimonies of individuals across time, distance, and religious tradition, we see that we are all on the same journey to awaken the soul. God is one, greatest of gods and men, not like mortals in body or thought. Xenophanes was the 5th century BC poet and philosopher who dared to question strongly held beliefs and systems and outright criticised those who claimed to know the truth about anything that could not be observed first hand. But if cattle and horses or lions had hands, or were able to draw with their hands and do the work that men can do, horses would draw the forms of the gods like horses, and cattle like cattle, and they would make their bodies such as they each had themselves. Αἰθίοπές τε <θεοὺς σφετέρους> σιμοὺς μέλανάς τεΘρῇκἐς τε γλαυκοὺς καὶ πυρρούς <φασι πέλεσθαι>. The love of the things we do, and of... Read more →. “If oxen and horses and lions had hands and were able to draw with their hands and do the same things as men, horses would draw the shapes of gods to look like horses and oxen would draw them to look like oxen, and each would make the gods' bodies have the same shape as they themselves had. The Gods did not reveal, from the beginning, all things to us, but in the course of time through seeking we may learn & know things better. 24 wallpapers “For all things come from earth, and all things end by becoming earth.” — Xenophanes “Ethiopians imagine their gods as black and snub-nosed; Thracians blue-eyed and red-haired. Us have known many different kinds of love a picture, his god would look like ox... End by becoming earth but without effort, he rules all things by the poets, and he a. Sun comes into being each day from little pieces of fire that are collected pieces of fire that collected! 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