🚀 go-pugleaf

A similar aphorism is attributed to several figures besides Socrates--most
often to various Cynics, beginning with Diogenes of Sinope: "Asked where
he was from, he said, `I am a citizen of the world' [kosmopolites]."
(Diogenes Laertius 6.63).  Taken up by Stoics as well: the wise person is
fellow citizen in the republic composed of the gods and humans.  According
to Philo Judaeus (I CE), the first human was a kosmopolites (Origin of the
World 142f.), as is everyone who lives by the law of the whole kosmos,
which is "right reason" (orthos logos) (ibid., 3: according to von Arnim,
an echo of Chrysippus, SVF 3:82).  Crates (a pupil of Diogenes) is said to
have composed a tragedy in which the lines occur: "Not one tower hath my
country nor one roof,/ But wide as the whole earth its citadel / And home
prepared for us to dwell therein" (Diog.Laert. 6.98).

On Sun, 29 Mar 1998, Tony St Quintin wrote:

> I have just written:
>
> > I was in one of those v.embarrassing situations last night where one's
> > ignorance is made manifest... I thought you might be able to help.
> >
> > We are looking for a Greek quotation that translates along the lines of:
> >  "I am a citizen neither of Athens nor of Greece but of the world."
>
> Of course it is even worse now as I have, mere seconds after hitting the
> "send" button, found:
>
> Socrates said he was not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the
> world.--Plutarch: On Banishment.
>
> Which would seem to answer my question.
>
> Sorry about the bandwidth!
>
> t
>

Wayne A. Meeks, Department of Religious Studies, Yale University
Internet: wayne.meeks@yale.edu           Telephone: 203-432-0747
      s-mail: PO Box 208287, New Haven, CT 06520-8287, USA