Alexander the Great, in Plutarch's Lives, as translated by John Langhorne and William Langhorne (1859), p. 469. Cf. Diogenes Laërtius, vi. 31
“

If I were not Alexander, I should wish to be Diogenes.

— Alexander the Great

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "If I were not Alexander, I should wish to be Diogenes." in the context of "Alexander the Great, in Plutarch's Lives, as translated by John Langhorne and William Langhorne (1859), p. 469. Cf. Diogenes Laërtius, vi. 31" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Diogenes of Sinope" (Quotes about Diogenes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Diogenes of Sinope

About Diogenes of Sinope

Diogenes of Sinope (or Diogenes the Cynic; c. 412 BC – 323 BC) was the most famous of the Cynic philosophers of ancient Greece. No writings of his survive, but his sayings are recorded by Diogenes Laërtius and others.