“The well-known story of the tripod found by the fishermen and sent by the people of Miletus to all the Wise Men in succession runs as follows.

Certain lonian youths having purchased of the Milesian fishermen their catch of fish, a dispute arose over the tripod which had formed part of the catch.

Finally the Milesians referred the question to Delphi, and the god gave an oracle in this form:

Who shall possess the tripod?

Thus replies Apollo: Whosoever is most wise.”

—Diogenes Laertius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers