The ugliest man

Socrates is my favorite philosopher, some said he was the "ugliest man". Consider the time he lived in, the athens that worshiped beauty. Just look at the all those stone sculptures of the time and try to understand how much they appreciated physical beauty. They even had a god for it.

It is said that one of the students of Socrates showed a picture of him to a face-reader called Zopyrus. He could  tell about  the qualities  and character  of  people by just looking at them. When he saw the picture of Socrates, he was obviously appalled and said to the guy that this person (Socrates) was a sensualist. A person of low morals and no scruples. A man driven by "ferocious lust" and physical appetite. A man with fierce temper and violent emotions. A man who was greedily looking to experience the life of the senses. He didn't know who Socrates was and the student silently laughed at the description, knowing Socrates was the complete opposite.

He came back and narrated the description to Socrates and to his surprise, Socrates agreed completely. He too recognized himself to be a sensualist and said that he spent a lifetime learning how not to be one and transform all that energy into something good. Cultivating character. Learning to be just. Knowing that he knew nothing. Pursuing truth.

Socrates - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Socrates