Explanation: Diogenes was an Ancient Greek philosopher who lived in an empty wine barrel on the streets and passed along unconventional wisdom to passers-by, often unasked for. Such brilliance as “If only it were as easy to banish hunger by rubbing my belly!” when accosted for masturbating in public, and “Behold, a man!” whilst holding a plucked chicken, when Plato’s Academy defined a man as a featherless biped.

Unironically, though, his iconoclasm, while eccentric, does show a well-considered and coherent value system, and for that reason, despite everything, was a major influence on later philosophers, especially the Cynic school. Alexander the Great famously said, “If I were not Alexander, I would want to be Diogenes.” to which according to some accounts Diogenes replied, “If I were not Diogenes, I too would want to be Diogenes.”

Important to note that many Diogenes stories are long after the man died, and there’s some mythologizing with him.

Here’s a fun story though:

Menippus in his Sale of Diogenes tells how, when he was captured and put up for sale, he was asked what he could do. He replied, “Govern men.” And he told the crier to give notice in case anybody wanted to purchase a master for himself. Having been forbidden to sit down, “It makes no difference,” said he, “for in whatever position fishes lie, they still find purchasers.” And he said he marvelled that before we buy a jar or dish we try whether it rings true, but if it is a man are content merely to look at him. To Xeniades who purchased him he said, “You must obey me, although I am a slave; for, if a physician or a steersman were in slavery, he would be obeyed.”

Dogs!

I just wanted to say that he had dogs around him, that’s all

success is subjective

I am GenZ Diogenes

Me: Fuck, I’m at three dogs and eyeing another two, I’m gonna need a bigger barrel.

Hum… My guess is if we could make houses out of money, they would be much cheaper.