On the Usefulness of the Parts, Vol. I

he casts down the humble one. Therefore, man is not naked, nor vulnerable, nor unarmed, nor barefoot, but he has an iron breastplate whenever he wishes, an instrument more impenetrable than all hides; he has every kind of footwear, every kind of weapon, and every kind of shelter. For not only the breastplate, but also the house, the wall, and the tower are shelters for man. If he had by nature a horn on his hands or some other such defensive weapon, he would have had no use for his hands either for the construction of a house or a wall, or for a spear, a breastplate, or anything else of the kind. With these hands, man has woven a garment, knotted a net, a fish-trap, a wicker basket, and a snare, so that he rules not only over the animals on earth, but also those in the sea and in the air. Such is the hand as a weapon for him in defense. Yet, man is a peaceful and political social animal creature that lives in a community; with his hands, he wrote laws, founded altars and statues for the gods, constructed ships, flutes, lyres, chisels, tongs, and all other instruments of the arts, and left behind records of their theory in writing. And through these writings and hands, it is still possible for you, even now, to commune with Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates, and the other ancients.
25 Chapter III. Thus is man the wisest of animals...