Ptolemy was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, and geographer who lived in the 2nd century CE. He is best known for his work on astronomy, including the Almagest, a treatise on the mathematical models of the motions of the stars and planets. He also wrote Geographia, a work on cartography which was used for centuries as the authoritative source on the geography of the ancient world.
What is the most famous quote by Ptolemy ?
Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth.
— Ptolemy
What can you learn from Ptolemy (Life Lessons)
- Ptolemy's work is a great example of the importance of observing the natural world and using data to draw conclusions. He was one of the first to use mathematics and geometry to explain the movements of the planets and stars. His work has taught us to use science and mathematics to better understand the universe around us.
- Ptolemy's work has also taught us the importance of being open to new ideas and theories, even if they contradict existing beliefs. He was willing to challenge the accepted theories of the day, and his work has encouraged us to think critically and question the status quo.
- Finally, Ptolemy's work has shown us the importance of collaboration and the value of working together to solve complex problems. He worked with
The most revealing Ptolemy quotes that are proven to give you inner joy
Following is a list of the best quotes, including various Ptolemy inspirational quotes, and other famous sayings by Ptolemy.
Everything that is hard to attain is easily assailed by the generality of men.
The heaven is spherical in shape, and moves as a sphere;
the earth too is sensibly spherical in shape, when taken as a whole; in position it lies in the middle of the heavens very much like its center; in size and distance it has the ratio of a point to the sphere of the fixed stars; and it has no motion from place to place.
I know that I am mortal and the creature of a day;
but when I search out the massed wheeling circles of the stars, my feet no longer touch the earth, but, side by side with Zeus himself, I take my fill of ambrosia, the food of the gods.
It is clearly evident that most events of a widespread nature draw their causes from the enveloping heavens.
If the earth were flat from east to west, the stars would rise as soon for westerners as for orientals, which is false. Also, if the earth were flat from north to south and vice versa, the stars which were always visible to anyone would continue to be so wherever he went, which is false. But it seems flat to human sight because it is so extensive.
Mortal through I be, yea ephemeral, if but a moment I gaze up at the night's starry domain of heaven, Then no longer on earth I stand; I touch the Creator, And my lively spirit drinketh immortality.
The length of life takes the leading place among inquiries about events following birth.
There are three classes of friendship and enmity, since men are so disposed to one another either by preference or by need or by pleasure and pain.
Geographic quotes by Ptolemy
There’s an inherent message in my work relating to recycling and the nature of value, but my artistic inspiration is fired by the qualities within the raw materials… I come across many things which have been abandoned and find something more in them than their intrinsic worthlessness.
I often prefer the shapes within the raw materials to ‘do their thing’, as this makes it movre interesting for me. Sometimes a piece of hubcap fits in such a way that the shark becomes almost alive in my hands, climbing, twisting or just hanging motionless and predatory, and this gives me a buzz. It makes me feel like a vehicle for the creation process rather than a controller, and not knowing the exact outcome is exciting.
As material fortune is associated with the properties of the body, so honor belongs to those of the soul.