According to UNESCO, Skovoroda is one of the five wise men of the world, along with Socrates, Confucius, Spinoza and Mahatma Gandhi. They are all united by the principle: “Live as you teach”
Due to his remarkable talent for science, at the age of 12 Skovoroda was enrolled in the Kyiv Brotherhood School, which would later become the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, considered one of the best educational institutions in Europe in the 18th century. He learnt 8 foreign languages, sang in operas, liturgies and at various celebrations (court chapel in St. Petersburg).
During his travels in Europe, Skovoroda developed as a philosopher.
Hryhorii did not have his own house and did not start a family, but in his self-restraint the philosopher felt free from unnecessary things.
According to legend, Skovoroda did not eat meat or fish. Some legends say that he ate only once a day and only after sunset. The philosopher slept for four hours and woke up with the first rays of the sun. A healthy lifestyle and constant travelling helped him live for 72 years.
According to legend, in his last days Skovoroda made all the necessary preparations, and in the evening, leaving the company gathered in Pan-Ivanivka, he went up the hill to dig a grave. And in the morning, when the owner of the estate came to call Hryhorii, everyone saw that Skovoroda had already gone to sleep, having gone on his last journey. The prominent Ukrainian philosopher, traveller, teacher, and poet passed away on 9 November 1794 in the village of Pan-Ivanivka (now Skovorodynivka, Kharkiv region). As Skovoroda’s will, an inscription was engraved on his tombstone: “The world chased me, but did not catch me”.
