"Man is the most intelligent of the animals - and the most silly"
- Diogenes
About this Quote
Diogenes' quote encapsulates the intricate contradiction of humans as intelligent beings who typically devote silly acts. As a types, humans possess an amazing capability for creativity, issue resolving, and abstract reasoning, but we are also prone to making illogical choices, holding predispositions, and participating in harmful habits. This duality of humanity gives both awe and frustration. The quote suggests that our intellect is frequently weakened by our own shortcomings, such as our ego, greed, and narrow-mindedness. Eventually, Diogenes' words function as a suggestion that whilst we may be the most intelligent animals, we still have much to find out about how to use our intelligence sensibly.
"Often and often afterwards, the beloved Aunt would ask me why I had never told anyone how I was being treated. Children tell little more than animals, for what comes to them they accept as eternally established"
"Certainly it is wrong to be cruel to animals and the destruction of a whole species can be a great evil. The capacity for feelings of pleasure and pain and for the form of life of which animals are capable clearly impose duties of compassion and humanity in their case"
