Diogenes of Sinope:
(Sinope 404 BC – Corinth 323 BC).
Greek philosopher from the school of cynics.
Diogenes was born the son of a banker in Sinope, a Greek colony on the southern coast of the Black Sea. Initially, Diogenes followed in his father’s footsteps with a career in banking, however, after involvement in a counterfeiting scandal, he was forced to leave the city of Sinope. Diogenes then travelled to Athens, the centre of the Greek world, where he met Antisthenes and joined him immediately and unconditionally, according to Diogenes Laëtius.
When I look upon seamen, men of science and philosophers, man is the wisest of all beings; when I look upon priests and prophets nothing is as contemptable as man.
Priests and prophets, he sees people who use superstition, power and deception instead of reason. They often preach moral values but do not act according to them themselves. They are the most despicable creatures: hypocritical, stupid and deceitful.
