man is the measure of all things

English

Vitruvian Man, a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, sometimes associated with this phrase.

Etymology

According to Plato, the phrase was coined by Greek philosopher Protagoras.

Phrase

man is the measure of all things

1. (an expression of) the doctrine that all knowledge is subjective, being derived from observations made by humans, and there can be no objective truth

Translations

Translations

• Danish: mennesket er alle tings mål (da)
• French: l'homme est la mesure de toute chose (fr)
• German: der Mensch ist das Maß aller Dinge (de)
• Latin: homo mensura (la)

• Norwegian: mannesket er målstokken for alle ting (no)
• Russian: человек есть мера всех вещей существующих (ru) (čelovek jestʹ mera vsex veščej suščestvujuščix)
• Swedish: människan är alltings mått (sv)