According to legend, Alexander the Great came to visit the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope. Alexander wanted to fulfill a wish for Diogenes and asked him what he desired. As told by Diogenes Laërtius, Diogenes replied, "Stand out of my light."
One day while he was eating a frugal dish of lentils, he was challenged by the philosopher Aristippus, who, for his part, led a golden life as he was one of the king’s courtiers.
Aristippus scornfully told him:
“See, if you learned to crawl before the king, you wouldn’t have to settle for rubbish like this vulgar dish of lentils!”
Diogenes replied:
“If you’d learned to make do with lentils, you wouldn’t have to crawl before the king!”