Socrates

Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher who is widely regarded as one of the founders of Western philosophy. Unlike many philosophers of his time, Socrates did not write down his teachings. Instead, he engaged in dialogue with others, questioning their beliefs and encouraging them to think critically about their assumptions. This method of inquiry, now known as the Socratic Method, involved asking probing questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas. Socrates believed in the pursuit of virtue and knowledge as the highest good. He famously stated, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” reflecting his belief in the importance of self-reflection and personal growth.

Despite his influence, Socrates was a controversial figure in Athens. His questioning of traditional beliefs and his association with some politically unpopular figures led to his trial and conviction on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth. He was sentenced to death by consuming a cup of poison hemlock.

Socrates’ legacy lives on through the works of his students, most notably Plato, who recorded many of Socrates’ dialogues and teachings. Through these writings, Socrates’ ideas have continued to influence philosophy, ethics, and education for millennia.

Some of his famous quotations are as following:

Inspiration

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”
“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”
“The mind is everything; what you think, you become.”
“To find yourself, think for yourself.”
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.”
“The only true failure is the failure to try.”
“Wisdom begins in wonder.”
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”
“To be is to do.”

Motivation

“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
“I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.”
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
“Falling down is not a failure.”
“No one can teach, if by teaching we mean the transmission of knowledge, in any mechanical fashion, from one person to another. The most that can be done is that one person who is more knowledgeable than another can, by asking a series of questions, stimulate the other to think, and so cause him to learn for himself.”
“To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know. No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of all blessings for a man, yet men fear it as if they knew that it is the greatest of evils.”
“If a man comes to the door of poetry untouched by the madness of the Muses, believing that technique alone will make him a good poet, he and his sane compositions never reach perfection, but are utterly eclipsed by the performances of the inspired madman.”
“The triumph of my art is in thoroughly examining whether the thought which the mind of the young man brings forth is a false idol or a noble true birth.”
“We gain our first measure of intelligence when we first admit our own ignorance.”

Wealth

“He is richest who is content with the least; for content is the wealth of nature.”
“Prefer knowledge to wealth, for the one is transitory, the other perpetual.”
“Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.”
“Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.”
“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.”

Health

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”
“Give me beauty in the inward soul; may the outward and the inward man be at one.”
“How many are the things I can do without!”

Life

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
“The only true possession you have is your own self.”
“The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.”
“The greatest blessings granted to mankind are within us and within our reach.”
“Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.”

Success

“To find yourself, think for yourself.”
“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”
“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.”
“The shortest and surest way to live with honour in the world, is to be in reality what we would appear to be; and if we observe, we shall find, that all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice of them.”
“Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of – for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”

Beauty

“Beauty is a short-lived tyranny.”
“Give me beauty in the inward soul; may the outward and the inward man be at one.”
Love
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
“When desire, having rejected reason and overpowered judgment which leads to right, is set in the direction of the pleasure which beauty can inspire, and when again under the influence of its kindred desires it is moved with violent motion towards the beauty of corporeal forms, it acquires a surname from this very violent motion, and is called love.”
“Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”

Happiness

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
“True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
“If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.”
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
“Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.”
“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.”

These quotes encapsulate Socrates’ profound insights on various aspects of life, offering timeless wisdom that continues to inspire and challenge us to live more examined, virtuous, and fulfilling lives.