Pythagoras’ teachings

He forbids us to pray for ourselves, since we do not know what is good for us. He substitutes for the word ‘drunkness’ the word ‘damage’, and rejects every type of satiety, saying that one should not exceed what is moderate when drinking or eating. About sexual pleasure he speaks as follows: ‘Have sexual relations in winter, not in summer; though less harmful in autumn and spring, they are harmful in every season and not good for one’s health’. When someone once asked him when one should have sexual relations, he replied, ‘Whenever you want to become weaker than yourself.’

Diogenes Laertius - Lives of the eminent philosophers

Pythagoras on Life

He said that life resembles a festival, where some go to compete for a prize, others to buy or sell, but the best men as spectators; for likewise in life, some men are servile by nature, hunters of fame and profit, while the philosopher hunts for the truth.

Diogenes Laertius - Lives of the eminent philosophers