'Poverty does not consist in the want of money,' I answered, 'nor is begging to be deplored. Poverty consists in the desire to have everything, and through violent means if necessary'From their founding in the fifth century BC and for over 800 years, the Cynic philosophers sought to cure humanity of greed and vice with their proposal of living simply. They guaranteed happiness to their adherents through freedom of speech, poverty, self-sufficiency and phys...

“The truth is hypothetical.”Scepticism (or skepticism), the belief that requires all information to be well supported by evidence, originated in the Skeptikoi, a first century BC Greek school who “asserted nothing.” The school was founded by Aenesidemus; our main source of the school’s teachings is Sextus Empiricus and the leader of the Sceptics was Pyrrho of Elis (365-275 BC) who had traveled to India and studied with the gymnosophists (naked lovers of wisdom). From India, Pyrrho ...

'many men compete in digging and kicking but no one at all in the pursuit of human excellence.' Diogenes the Cynic is best remembered today for having lived in a storage-jar, and walking the streets with a lamp in daylight, looking for an honest man. Such stories formed part of a rich tradition of sayings and anecdotes; his biting wit and eccentric behaviour were legendary, and it was by means of these oft-repeated and embellished aphorisms that his moral teachings were tr...

A practical guide for new cybersecurity executives, offering a clear roadmap for the critical first year in leadership. It equips leaders with strategies, tools, and insights to build strong security foundations, trusted relationships, and lasting organizational impact.Key FeaturesAssess risks, understand the business, and build key relationships earlyBuild and execute a realistic roadmap with budget and resourcesTranslate security risks into c...

"I would rather go mad than feel pleasure."- Antisthenes.For Cynics the secret to happiness was living a life of virtue in harmony with Nature with only the bare essentials necessary for survival. They rejected materialism and were free of belongings. Many were homeless and proud of it. The Cynics emphasized the value of self-sufficiency, or autarkeia. They ate one (vegetarian) meal a day and made a habit of walking vast distances to stay in shape. The school extoll...

In ***The Stoics***Diogenes Laërtius details the lives and philosophical opinions of the first Greek Stoic philosophers:Zeno of CitiumAriston of ChiosHerillus of CarthageDionysius the RenegadeCleanthes of AssosSphaerus of BosphorusChrysippus of SoliLaërtius’ main sources were Favorinus and Diocles of Magnesia, but his work also draws (either directly or indirectly) on books by Antisthenes of Rhodes, Al...

In The Stoics, Diogenes Laërtius details the lives and philosophical opinions of the first Greek Stoic philosophers: Zeno of Citium, Ariston of Chios, Herillus of Carthage, Dionysius the Renegade, Cleanthes of Assos, Sphaerus of Bosphorus and Chrysippus of Soli.

Accordingly Clitarchus, in his twelfth book, says that the Gymnosophists despise death, and that the Chaldæans study astronomy and the science of soothsaying—that the Magi occupy themselves about the service to be paid to the gods, and about sacrifices and prayers, as if they were the only people to whom the deities listen: and that they deliver accounts of the existence and generation of the gods, saying that they are fire, and earth, and water; and they condemn the use of images, and abo...

Chios Classics brings literature's greatest works back to life for new generations. All our books contain a linked table of contents.The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers is a classic collection of biographies written during the 3rd century A.D.

An entertaining and enlightening collection of ancient writings about the philosophers who advocated simple living and rejected unthinking conformityThe Cynics were ancient Greek philosophers who stood athwart the flood of society’s material excess, unexamined conventions, and even norms of politeness and thundered “No!” Diogenes, the most famous Cynic, wasn’t shy about literally extending his middle finger to the world, expressing mock surprise that “most people g...

The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers is the great surviving compendium of ancient Greek philosophical biography, arranging thinkers from the Seven Sages and early Ionians to Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Skeptics, Cynics, and Epicurus. Its style is not systematic argument but learned mosaic: anecdotes, maxims, catalogues of writings, doctrinal summaries, wills, letters, and verses are woven into a doxographical narrative. Written in the Roman imperial period, it preserves invalua...

Ancient Philosophy brings together the ideas, character, and personal histories of the foundational minds of the ancient world, revealing philosophy not as abstraction, but as lived practice.Rather than presenting philosophy as distant or academic, this book restores its original purpose: guidance for living well. The wisdom here is concise, practical, and grounded in everyday concerns, such as how to act, how to judge, how to endure, and how to live with ...