Xenophanes Quotes

“Men always makes gods in their own image.”
― Xenophanes

“The gods did riot: enrich man
with a knowledge of all things
from the beginning of life.
Yet man seeks, and in time
invents what may be better.”
― Xenophanes

“You may call it a tradition, but it wouldn't be a tradition when old traditions were broken, by an old structure.”
― Petra Hermans

“The truth is that no man ever was or will be
who understands the gods and all I speak of.
If you stumble on some rocks of the whole truth
you never know it. There is always speculation.”
― Xenophanes

“1
Man made his gods, and furnished them
with his own body, voice, and garments.

2
If a horse or lion or a slow ox
had agile hands for paint and sculpture,
the horse would make his god a horse,
the ox would sculpt an ox.

3
Our gods have flat noses and black skins
say the Ethiopians. The Thracians say
our gods have red hair and hazel eyes.”
― Xenophanes

“Whom they call Iris is also a raincloud
that we see as purple, scarlet and green.”
― Xenophanes

“Everything comes from the earth,
and everything ends in the earth.”
― Xenophanes

“One day a dog was being thrashed in the street,
and behold, Pythagoras, philosopher of spirits,
was walking by.
His heart was in his mouth
for the poor pup.
'Stop! Stop!' he cried.
'Don't beat him any more.
This is my dear friend's soul.
I recognize the voice when I hear him bark.”
― Xenophanes

“There is one God, supreme among gods and men,
who is like mortals in neither body nor mind.”
― Xenophanes