Xenophanes

Summary

Xenophanes of Colophon was a philosopher and poet of the late sixth and early fifth centuries. Although an Ionian by birth, he evidently lived as an exile in Sicily.

(DK 2, W2, lines 11–19)

… Better than the strength

of men or of horses is my sophia.

And though it is often foolishly believed to be so, it is not just

to prefer strength to good sophia.

For it is not having a good boxer among the people,

or a good pentathlete or wrestler,

or one who is swift of foot – which has the highest

honor in men's contests of strength – none

of these could give a city a good constitution (eunomia).

(DK 15)

But if cows and horses and lions had hands

and could draw with their hands and accomplish what men do,

horses would draw images of gods like horses,

and cows like cows, and each would make statues

of the gods like the bodies they have themselves.

(DK 16)

Ethiopeans make their gods black and snub-nosed,

Thracians make theirs blue-eyed and red-haired.

(DK 11)

Both Homer and Hesiod have attributed to the gods

everything that calls for blame and reproach among humans:

stealing, adultery, and deceiving one another.

(DK 34)

And no man has seen with certainty or will ever know

about the gods or any other thing of which I speak;

even if someone happened to speak with highest perfection,

he still would not know, but opinion is built into everything.