Pythagoras c. 570 – c. 495 BC

“Cherish peace divine.”

“Learn silence. With the quiet serenity of a meditative mind, listen, absorb, transcribe, and transform.”

“Silence is better than unmeaning words.”

“Sooner throw a pearl at hazard than an idle or useless word; and do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few.”

“It is not proper either to have a blunt sword or to use freedom of speech ineffectually.”

“Neither is the sun to be taken from the world, nor freedom of speech from erudition.”

“Reason not with him, that will deny the principal truths!”

“Better be mute, than dispute with the ignorant.”

“Anger begins in folly, and ends in repentance.”

“We ought so to behave to one another as to avoid making enemies of our friends, and at the same time to make friends of our enemies.”

“Without justice, no realm may prosper.”

“Practice justice in word and deed, and do not get in the habit of acting thoughtlessly about anything.”

“The soul of man is divided into three parts, intelligence, reason, and passion. Intelligence and passion are possessed by other animals, but reason by man alone.”

“Reason is immortal, all else mortal.”

“Time is the soul of this world.”

“Sobriety is the strength of the soul, for it preserves its reason unclouded by passion.”

“None can be free who is a slave to, and ruled by, his passions.”

“No man is free who cannot control himself.”

“Choose always the way that seems the best, however rough it may be; custom will soon render it easy and agreeable.”

“Truth is so great a perfection, that if God would render himself visible to men, he would choose light for his body and truth for his soul.”

“There is no word or action but has its echo in Eternity.”

“Most men and women, by birth or nature, lack the means to advance in wealth and power, but all have the ability to advance in knowledge.”

“Man know thyself; then thou shalt know the Universe and God.”

“Educate the children and it won't be necessary to punish the men.”

“Remind yourself that all men assert that wisdom is the greatest good, but that there are few who strenuously seek out that greatest good.”

“It is better to suffer, than to do, wrong.”

“Evil destroyeth itself.”

“Don't try to cover your mistakes with false words. Rather, correct your mistakes with examination.”

Quotes about Pythagoras:
Grover W. Brunton:
“Pythagoras was said to have been the first man to call himself philosopher; in fact, the world is indebted to him for the word philosopher. Before that time the wise men called themselves sages, which was interpreted to mean those who know. Pythagoras was more modest. He coined the word philosopher, which he defined as one who is attempting to find out.”
    ~ Grover W. Brunton

“There remains no firm basis for the belief that Pythagoras was a geometer...”
    ~ Walter Burkert

Pythagorean Legends from Wikipedia.org:
“Within his own lifetime, Pythagoras was already the subject of elaborate hagiographic legends. Aristotle described Pythagoras as a wonder-worker and somewhat of a supernatural figure. In a fragment, Aristotle writes that Pythagoras had a golden thigh, which he publicly exhibited at the Olympic Games and showed to Abaris the Hyperborean as proof of his identity as the "Hyperborean Apollo". Supposedly, the priest of Apollo gave Pythagoras a magic arrow, which he used to fly over long distances and perform ritual purifications. He was supposedly once seen at both Metapontum and Croton at the same time. When Pythagoras crossed the river Kosas (the modern-day Basento), "several witnesses" reported that they heard it greet him by name. In Roman times, a legend claimed that Pythagoras was the son of Apollo.”

“Pythagoras was said to have dressed all in white. He is also said to have borne a golden wreath atop his head and to have worn trousers after the fashion of the Thracians. Diogenes Laërtius presents Pythagoras as having exercised remarkable self-control; he was always cheerful, but "abstained wholly from laughter, and from all such indulgences as jests and idle stories". Pythagoras was said to have had extraordinary success in dealing with animals. A fragment from Aristotle records that, when a deadly snake bit Pythagoras, he bit it back and killed it. Both Porphyry and Iamblichus report that Pythagoras once persuaded a bull not to eat fava beans...”