Demosthenes Quotes
Nothing is so easy as to deceive one's self; for what we wish, that we readily believe; but such expectations are often inconsistent with the real state of things.
Demosthenes. The Olynthiac and Other Public Orations of Demosthenes. Translated by Charles Rann Kennedy, Henry G. Bohn, 1852, p. 56.
David Dunning is the co-researcher that identified and named the Dunning-Kruger effect – a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities.
Demosthenes was a Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide an insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. Demosthenes learned rhetoric by studying the speeches of previous great orators. He delivered his first judicial speeches at the age of 20, in which he argued effectively to gain from his guardians what was left of his inheritance. For a time, Demosthenes made his living as a professional speech-writer (logographer) and a lawyer, writing speeches for use in private legal suits.
