“Consider your origins: you were not made to live as brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.”
- c. 1265 – September 14, 1321
- Italian
- Poet, Writer, Philosopher, Author of The Divine Comedy
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Quote
“Consider your origins: you were not made to live as brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.”
Explanation
This quote is authentically from Dante Alighieri, found in Inferno, Canto XXVI of The Divine Comedy. It is spoken by Ulysses (Odysseus) as he recounts his final voyage beyond the known world. In the original Italian, it reads: “Considerate la vostra semenza: fatti non foste a viver come bruti, ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza.” This is one of the most famous exhortations in Western literature, embodying Dante’s reverence for reason, virtue, and human potential.
Ulysses, in Dante’s version, urges his men to remember their noble origins and resist living like mere animals—mindless and instinct-driven. Instead, he calls them to pursue higher ideals, specifically virtue (moral excellence) and knowledge (intellectual enlightenment). The historical context is crucial: Dante was writing during the Italian Renaissance’s early stirrings, when the revival of classical learning and humanism began to challenge medieval passivity and dogma. Through Ulysses, Dante both celebrates human curiosity and warns against overreaching pride, as Ulysses’ quest ultimately leads to ruin.
Today, this quote is widely invoked to inspire educational ambition, ethical living, and personal growth. It reminds us that we are more than our base instincts—we are capable of moral reflection and intellectual achievement. Whether in facing societal ignorance, resisting complacency, or choosing a meaningful life path, Dante’s words continue to challenge us: live not as beasts, but as beings striving for truth and purpose.
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