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Spartan Surfers

c. 435-356 BC

Aristippus

Student of Socrates and founder of the Cyrenaic school, who enjoyed pleasure but insisted on mastering it.

2 sourced lines

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. I possess. I am not possessed.

    The pleasure-loving philosopher Aristippus, criticized for his lifestyle, said: I have, but I am not had, since the best thing is to master pleasures and not be beaten by them, not to abstain from them. Enjoy things without letting them run you.

    Diogenes Laertius 2.75, our translation from the Greek

  2. The educated differ from the rest as broken horses from wild ones.

    Asked how the educated differ from the uneducated, Aristippus said: as trained horses from untrained ones. Same energy, but one can be steered. Education is not about taming you; it is about giving you a rider.

    Diogenes Laertius 2.69, our translation from the Greek