Protagoras Quotes

Protagoras (c. 490 – c. 420 BC) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and is numbered as one of the sophists by Plato. In his dialogue, Protagoras, Plato credits him with having invented the role of the professional sophist.

No intelligent man believes that anybody ever willingly errs or willingly does base and evil deeds; they are well aware that all who do base and evil things do them unwillingly.

Protagoras
- Evil
- Intelligent
Let us hold our discussion together in our own persons, making trial of the truth and of ourselves.

Protagoras
- Truth
- Together

You, Socrates, began by saying that virtue can't be taught, and now you are insisting on the opposite, trying to show that all things are knowledge, justice, soundness of mind, even courage, from which it would follow that virtue most certainly can be taught.

Protagoras
- Mind
- Trying
- Knowledge
Man is the measure of all things.

Protagoras
There are two sides to every question.

Protagoras
- Question
The Athenians are right to accept advice from anyone, since it is incumbent on everyone to share in that sort of excellence, or else there can be no city at all.

Protagoras
- City
- Advice
- Excellence
As to gods, I have no way of knowing either that they exist or do not exist, or what they are like.

Protagoras
When it comes to consideration of how to do well in running the city, which must proceed entirely through justice and soundness of mind.

Protagoras
- Mind
- Running
- City

As touching the gods, I do not know whether they exist or not, nor how they are featured; for there is much to prevent our knowing: the obscurity of the subject and the brevity of human life.

Protagoras
- Life