Q0560
“The statesman and the king are like the physician: they seek the…” — Al-Farabi (Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth). Theme: politics.
English
The statesman and the king are like the physician: they seek the health of the city as the physician seeks the health of the body.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth) and files it under Islamic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Al-Farabi
Abū Naṣr al-Fārābī (c. 870–950), later called the ‘Second Teacher’ after Aristotle, worked mainly in Baghdad and Syria.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Plato and Kwasi Wiredu), politics is framed through Africana Philosophy and Platonism. Some passages define politics; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through politics, power.
Concepts in this quote
- Politics
- Politics appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat politics as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Power
- Power is the capacity to affect others and to shape what counts as possible—central to politics and ethics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Al-Farabi. (n.d.). The statesman and the king are like the physician: they seek the health of the city as the physician seeks the health of the body. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0560
MLA: Al-Farabi. “The statesman and the king are like the….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0560.
Chicago: Al-Farabi. “The statesman and the king are like the….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0560.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The statesman and the king are like the…”?
The passage is attributed to Al-Farabi, Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth). The archive attributes this English wording to Selected Aphorisms (Butterworth) and files it under Islamic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Al-Farabi mean by politics?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Plato and Kwasi Wiredu), politics is framed through Africana Philosophy and Platonism. Some passages define politics; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through politics, power.