Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, as well as being the first moral philosopher who pioneered the tradition of western ethical thought. While a prominent figure, his ideas are known through the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon. Plato’s dialogues are some of the most comprehensive pieces of literature related to Socrates to survive through antiquity.
Socrates became known worldwide for his contribution to the idea of ethics. His unique line of thinking, questioning and critical thinking in order to discover the truth became known as the Socratic method. His method remains a commonly used tool today, where individuals will ask a series of questions not only to draw certain answers, but to encourage fundamental insight into the issue which is being debated. Recognized as one of the world’s greatest philosophers, many of his ideas have also been thought to be the source of inspiration for many of history’s greatest leaders, and Socrates is credited with laying down the foundation for what became western philosophy.
Let’s keep his great teachings alive by remembering 24 of his most famous quotes:
1) “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
2) “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
3) “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
4) “I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.”
5) “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.”
6) “Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.”
7) “Know thyself.”
8) “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.”
9) “If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.”
10) “Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.”
11) “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”
12) “To find yourself, think for yourself.”
13) “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
14) “By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”
15) “Let him who would move the world first move himself.”
16) “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
17) “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
18) “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”
19) “Prefer knowledge to wealth, for the one is transitory, the other perpetual.”
20) “Understanding a question is half an answer”
21) “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us”
22) “To be is to do”
23) “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.”
24) “The mind is everything; what you think you become”
