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The Golden Verses Of Pythagoras And Other Pythagorean Fragments.
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
88 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 496
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About the author
Annie Besant
2,119 books147 followersNoted British reformer Annie Wood Besant vigorously supported socialism, birth control, trade unionism, and rights of women; the cause of independence interested her through her involvement with the theosophical society, and she moved and founded the home rule league in 1916 and served as president of the Indian national congress in 1917.
This prominent activist and orator wrote of Irish.
She, aged 20 years in 1867, married Frank Besant but separated over religious differences.
Once free of Frank Besant and exposed to new currents of thought, she began to question her long-held religious beliefs and the whole of conventional thinking. She began to write attacks on the way of the churches in lives of people. In particular, she attacked the status of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith.
She quickly wrote a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the national secular society, to earn a small weekly wage. The society stood for a secular state and an end to the special status of Christianity and allowed her to act of its public speakers. Very popular public lectures entertained in Queen Victorian times. People quickly greatly demanded Besant, a brilliant speaker. Using the railway, she crisscrossed the country, spoke on all of the most important issues of the day, and always demanded improvement and freedom.
For many years, Besant befriended Charles Bradlaugh, leader of the national secular society. Bradlaugh, a former soldier, long separated from his wife; Besant lived with him and his daughters, and they worked together on many issues. He, an atheist and a republican, also tried to get elected as member of Parliament for Northampton.
She then prominently spoke for the national secular society, wrote, and closely befriended Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877, people prosecuted her and Bradlaugh for publishing a book of campaigner Charles Knowlton.
Besant and Bradlaugh, household names in 1877, then published a book of the American campaigner Charles Knowlton. It claimed that never happy working-class families ably decided not want of children. It suggested ways to limit the size of their families.
The scandal made them famous, and people elected Bradlaugh as member of Parliament for Northampton in 1880.
Actions included the bloody Sunday demonstration and the match girls strike of London of 1888. She led speakers for the Fabian society and the social democratic federation of Marxists. She topped the poll and won election to the school board of London for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll even despite few qualified female voters at that time.
In 1890, Besant met Helena Blavatsky, and over the next few years, secular matters waned. She joined as a member and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her related work, she traveled. In 1898, she helped to establish the central Hindu college.
In 1902, she established le Droit Humain, the first overseas lodge of the international order of co-freemasonry. Over the next few years, she established lodges in many parts of the empire. In 1907, she led at international headquarters in Adyar, Madras (Chennai).
She also joined politics. When World War I broke in 1914, she helped to launch to campaign for democracy and dominion status within the empire. This led to her election in late 1917. After the war, she continued to campaign.
In 1922, she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) national collegiate board in Mumbai.
She fought, starting with freedom of thought, Fabians, and workers as a leading member of the national secular society alongside Charles Bradlaugh.
She continued to campaign until her death.
This prominent activist and orator wrote of Irish.
She, aged 20 years in 1867, married Frank Besant but separated over religious differences.
Once free of Frank Besant and exposed to new currents of thought, she began to question her long-held religious beliefs and the whole of conventional thinking. She began to write attacks on the way of the churches in lives of people. In particular, she attacked the status of the Church of England as a state-sponsored faith.
She quickly wrote a column for the National Reformer, the newspaper of the national secular society, to earn a small weekly wage. The society stood for a secular state and an end to the special status of Christianity and allowed her to act of its public speakers. Very popular public lectures entertained in Queen Victorian times. People quickly greatly demanded Besant, a brilliant speaker. Using the railway, she crisscrossed the country, spoke on all of the most important issues of the day, and always demanded improvement and freedom.
For many years, Besant befriended Charles Bradlaugh, leader of the national secular society. Bradlaugh, a former soldier, long separated from his wife; Besant lived with him and his daughters, and they worked together on many issues. He, an atheist and a republican, also tried to get elected as member of Parliament for Northampton.
She then prominently spoke for the national secular society, wrote, and closely befriended Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877, people prosecuted her and Bradlaugh for publishing a book of campaigner Charles Knowlton.
Besant and Bradlaugh, household names in 1877, then published a book of the American campaigner Charles Knowlton. It claimed that never happy working-class families ably decided not want of children. It suggested ways to limit the size of their families.
The scandal made them famous, and people elected Bradlaugh as member of Parliament for Northampton in 1880.
Actions included the bloody Sunday demonstration and the match girls strike of London of 1888. She led speakers for the Fabian society and the social democratic federation of Marxists. She topped the poll and won election to the school board of London for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll even despite few qualified female voters at that time.
In 1890, Besant met Helena Blavatsky, and over the next few years, secular matters waned. She joined as a member and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her related work, she traveled. In 1898, she helped to establish the central Hindu college.
In 1902, she established le Droit Humain, the first overseas lodge of the international order of co-freemasonry. Over the next few years, she established lodges in many parts of the empire. In 1907, she led at international headquarters in Adyar, Madras (Chennai).
She also joined politics. When World War I broke in 1914, she helped to launch to campaign for democracy and dominion status within the empire. This led to her election in late 1917. After the war, she continued to campaign.
In 1922, she helped establish the Hyderabad (Sind) national collegiate board in Mumbai.
She fought, starting with freedom of thought, Fabians, and workers as a leading member of the national secular society alongside Charles Bradlaugh.
She continued to campaign until her death.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 7, 2023
I'd not heard of these 71 verses until a trip to Greece where I saw this book. I'm not sure these basic aphorisms for living a good life can be attributed to Pythagoras as we're constantly told he never wrote anything down - a bit like Socrates - but then we're asked to believe in the veracity of these verses dating from the 5th Century AD, almost 1000 years after Pythagoras's death.
If you follow the principles outlined, you won't go far wrong, although there are elements of Stoicism and Buddhism in the words.
If you follow the principles outlined, you won't go far wrong, although there are elements of Stoicism and Buddhism in the words.
May 6, 2017
I think it's a great work.
Some of the parts of the sections from other pythagoreans are quite patchy and a tad too religious. The Golden verses are pretty great, it's kind of a how to guide for living a good and wise life. You'll find some are similar to common sayings or christian preachings, they are probably things that people have been repeating to each other since language began.
The best part for me is the symbols of pythagoras which are cryptic sayings that are alternately baffling, mad as a box of frogs, truly thought provoking and maybe even genuinely useful. For example -
cut not fire with a sword
departing from your house turn not back for the furies will be your attendants
walk in unfrequented paths
eat not beans
Sacrifice and adore unshod
Each saying has an explanation after it, which is usually quite wordy but tends to throw light onto even the most bizarre instruction these are by Iamblichus, though this edition doesn't really make this clear. The main failing of this book is that it seems like something that was just grabbed when it went public domain and printed off with little care to properly format or explain what it is. A better book in this regard is the Pythagorean Sourcebook by Guthrie, which I read after this, even though it still has pretty much the same golden verses. That one is more expensive but well worth it, more symbols, some biographies, a nice essay, some various pythagorean fragments.
This one is still worth reading, if you just want the verses and the main symbols, quick and easy, but then so is just checking wikipedia.
Some of the parts of the sections from other pythagoreans are quite patchy and a tad too religious. The Golden verses are pretty great, it's kind of a how to guide for living a good and wise life. You'll find some are similar to common sayings or christian preachings, they are probably things that people have been repeating to each other since language began.
The best part for me is the symbols of pythagoras which are cryptic sayings that are alternately baffling, mad as a box of frogs, truly thought provoking and maybe even genuinely useful. For example -
cut not fire with a sword
departing from your house turn not back for the furies will be your attendants
walk in unfrequented paths
eat not beans
Sacrifice and adore unshod
Each saying has an explanation after it, which is usually quite wordy but tends to throw light onto even the most bizarre instruction these are by Iamblichus, though this edition doesn't really make this clear. The main failing of this book is that it seems like something that was just grabbed when it went public domain and printed off with little care to properly format or explain what it is. A better book in this regard is the Pythagorean Sourcebook by Guthrie, which I read after this, even though it still has pretty much the same golden verses. That one is more expensive but well worth it, more symbols, some biographies, a nice essay, some various pythagorean fragments.
This one is still worth reading, if you just want the verses and the main symbols, quick and easy, but then so is just checking wikipedia.
February 10, 2017
A masterpiece!
March 27, 2021
This book contains short aphorisms by Pythagoras and some selected disciples of his. It is interesting to see how some of these thoughts seemed to influence later philosophies like Plato's and the Stoics. Some very good aphorisms are in here.
April 25, 2015
I loved the aphorisms in this shorter book. I have to admit that I thought that the translator was reaching a bit when interpreting the "Symbols" in the last chapter.
January 21, 2025
A lot of weighty ideas to consider. Most of the verses are the height of wisdom, but a few sound like nonsense, at least today.
Many of the ideas are a portent of things to come because the bulk of the advice lined up squarely with Christianity. The only time it strays far is when it recommends that you not talk to just anybody about God because not everybody GETS it and you can't waste your wisdom on them.
Many of the ideas are a portent of things to come because the bulk of the advice lined up squarely with Christianity. The only time it strays far is when it recommends that you not talk to just anybody about God because not everybody GETS it and you can't waste your wisdom on them.
April 7, 2024
The Pure Wishdom..
February 16, 2015
I don't have much context for this; as far as I can tell, a lot of the material arguably consists of Neoplatonic shout-outs to Pythagoras rather than truly Pythagorean writings. Anyway, it all makes for fairly compelling reading, but the Golden Verses are a real standout.
August 19, 2023
Bella introduzione alla figura di Pitagora basata su una attenta analisi delle fonti. Buoni i riferimenti ad altri testi utili per approfondire.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews