Democritus certainly visited Athens when he was a young man, principally to visit Anaxagoras, but Democritus complained how little he was known there. He said, according to Diogenes Laertius writing in the second century AD:
Democritus tiyak binisita Athens kapag siya ay isang binata, lalung-lalo na sa pagbisita Anaxagoras, ngunit Democritus reklamo kung paano maliit na siya ay kilala doon. He said, ayon sa Diogenes Laertius pagsulat sa ikalawang siglo AD: