"Ask for anything and I'll gladly oblige," said Alexander the Great to Diogenes. "Move to the right, you are blocking my sun," answered Diogenes, who was basking in the sun. Alexander left and said to his companions, "Had I not been Alexander, I should have liked to be Diogenes." That was the only time in history when a wise man was heard and understood without any interruption.
There is something about this story that bothers me, it seems too contrived. The story of Archimedes, the circles and the sword that interrupted his thought and life sounds much more realistic.