Democritus

Every line we carry

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

1. Brave is the man who masters his pleasures, not just his enemies.

   Democritus says the brave man is not only the one who beats the enemy but the one who is stronger than his pleasures, and adds that some rule cities while being slaves to their desires. The hardest opponent is usually inside the walls.

   Fragment B214 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

2. More people become good by practice than by nature.

   The Greek word askesis means training. Democritus says more people become excellent through it than through natural gifts. Talent is a head start. Practice is the race.

   Fragment B242 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

3. For a good soul, the whole world is home.

   To a wise man every land is open, Democritus says, for the homeland of a good soul is the whole world. Character travels. Wherever you land, you can belong if you bring the right self.

   Fragment B247 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

4. Speech is the shadow of action.

   Plutarch preserves this short saying: speech is the shadow of action. A shadow follows a body; it cannot exist without one. Do the thing, and the words will follow.

   Fragment B145 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

5. Truth lies in the deep.

   Democritus admits that in reality we know nothing for certain, for truth is in the depths. The surface is opinion and noise. Go deeper, and accept that some of the bottom is still out of reach.

   Fragment B117 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

6. People invented luck as an excuse for their own bad thinking.

   Democritus says people made an idol of Chance as a cover for their own poor planning, since chance rarely fights good judgment. Most of what we call bad luck was a bad decision. Own it and plan better.

   Fragment B119 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

7. Happiness doesn't live in herds or gold. The soul is its home.

   Herds of cattle were wealth in the old world. Democritus says happiness lives in neither livestock nor gold; the soul is where the divine spirit dwells. You cannot buy what lives inside you.

   Fragment B171 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

8. Want a calm mind? Don't do too much.

   Democritus' book on cheerfulness began with this advice: whoever wants to be content should not take on many things, privately or in public. Overcommitment kills peace. Say no more often.

   Fragment B3 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

9. The world is a stage. Life, a passage. You came, saw, left.

   Diels prints this saying among the fragments of Democritus: the world a stage, life an entrance and exit. Your part is short. Play it well.

   Fragment B115 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

10. Whoever does something shameful should be ashamed before himself first.

    Democritus puts the first audience for your conduct inside your own head. Shame before others depends on getting caught. Shame before yourself works in the dark too.

    Fragment B84 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

11. Time doesn't teach good sense.

    Democritus notes that there is good sense among the young and foolishness among the old, because time does not teach wisdom; timely training and nature do. Age is not a credential. Learning is.

    Fragment B183 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

12. One wise friend is worth more than all the fools.

    The friendship of one intelligent person, Democritus says, beats that of all the unintelligent. Quality over quantity. One real friend can change your life; a crowd usually cannot.

    Fragment B98 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

13. Many who seem friends are not. Many who don't seem it are.

    A mirror line about friendship: plenty of people seem to be friends and are not, and plenty who do not seem to be, are. Look at who shows up, not who smiles.

    Fragment B97 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

14. Courage makes disasters small.

    Democritus says courage makes ruin small. The same setback crushes one person and barely dents another. The difference is not the event but the nerve that meets it.

    Fragment B213 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

15. Steady toil gets lighter with habit.

    Continuous work becomes lighter than itself through habit, Democritus says. The first weeks of anything hurt most. Stay with it and the same load starts to feel normal.

    Fragment B241 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

16. Small kindnesses at the right time are the greatest.

    To the one who receives them, Democritus says, small favors done at the right moment are the greatest. Timing turns a little help into a big one. Watch for the moment someone needs it.

    Fragment B94 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek

17. Travel teaches self-reliance. Barley bread and straw are the sweetest cures.

    Living away from home, Democritus says, teaches you to be self-sufficient, because a barley cake and a straw bed are the sweetest cures for hunger and fatigue. Surf trips and road trips teach the same lesson. You need less than you think.

    Fragment B246 Diels-Kranz, our translation from the Greek