All men by nature desire to know. — Aristotle

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All men by nature desire to know. — Aristotle · Smartyfair

All men by nature desire to know.

Aristotle384–322 BC · philosopher · Ancient GreeceAristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who studied nearly everything — biology, physics, poetry, and politics — and organized knowledge in ways that shaped science for centuries.6 quotes

Source foundCuriosity

In plain words

Everybody is born wanting to find things out.

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all
men
nature
desire
know

Where these words come from

How sure this is: 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Primary text: opening line of the Metaphysics, Book I, Bekker 980a.21. One of the most famous and securely attested lines in the philosophical canon.
Work: Metaphysics, Book I (980a.21)
Occasion: c. 350 BCE · Athens · The opening line of Aristotle's Metaphysics
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Metaphysics Book I, 980a.21 (Oxford Dictionary of Scientific Quotations, 2005)
classics.mit.edu

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Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

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More on curiosity

Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.

Plato

Ancient

Checked using claude-fable-5, 21 August 2026

Metaphysics I.980a, W.D. Ross translation, MIT Internet Classics Archive — verbatim by direct fetch (source typesets the opening word in caps, a drop-cap convention only)

Nothing made from these words yet — Storyfaire is where they get made.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

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The greatest thing by far is to have a command of metaphor.

Aristotle

Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.

Aristotle

Nature makes nothing in vain.

Aristotle

I don't study to know more, but to ignore less.