Quote Of The Day By Pythagoras: 'We Ought So To Behave To One Another As To Avoid Making...'

Pythagoras may have been born back around 570 BC, but the advancements he made in philosophy, math, music theory, and astronomy are the basis for much of what we know about these topics today. Pythagoras grew up in Samos, an island located off the coast of Turkey, before making the move to Italy as an adult. Today, Pythagoras is likely best known for his work in math and science. During his time, however, it was his philosophical thought that made him the most well-known. He believed in life after death via reincarnation and living a life of honesty, self-discipline, and selflessness.

Pythagoreanism believed that math was the key to understanding the world. It also centered around the idea that focusing on philosophy, morality, and religious rituals are ways to become closer to divinity. These beliefs influenced the philosophers and religions that came after him. And, that's why Pythagoras' famed way of thinking gave us today's quote of the day.

It's reported that Pythagoras once said, "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." Unlike many philosophers that came after him, there are no lasting writings from Pythagoras. Instead, his beliefs, like this quote, have been passed down for centuries. This quote is aligned with Pythagoras' views about the importance of community. It acts as a reminder to make an active effort to share a positive bond with those around you.

A key element of Pythagoras' beliefs was the notion that living together in harmony with your community can help to build that same harmony within yourself. This is unachievable without making a conscious effort to nurture the relationships you have with those around you. By Pythagoras' mindset, it's vital to make sure that you are on good terms with everyone you interact with or, at least, working toward it, regardless of your differences. Rather than holding grudges and accepting that certain relationships can't become friendships, we should put in the work to improve all of our relationships and treat everyone as a friend. By the same token, we should always continue tending to our existing friendships to ensure that those relationships remain healthy, too. 

Today, it's easier than ever to feel separated from those around us or those that we know. Yet, Pythagoras was passionate about forging strong bonds in a community. While our individualistic society that revolves around isolation can make it particularly easy to simply accept that someone isn't a friend and move on, working to improve all relationships can give us more inner peace and fulfillment. 

• " ... do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few."
• "As for others, befriend whoever excels in virtue."
• "Do not let sleep close your tired eyes until you have three times gone over the events of the day. 'What did I do wrong? What did I accomplish? What did I fail to do that I should have done?'"
• "In anger we should refrain both from speech and action."
• "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."