Quotes by Socrates

Contentment is natural wealth; luxury, artificial poverty.

— Socrates

Wisdom

The end of life is to be like unto God; and the soul following God, will be like unto Him.

— Socrates

Life

I believe that we cannot live better than in seeking to become better.

— Socrates

Life

The surest, as the shortest way, to make yourself beloved and honored, is to be, indeed, the very man you wish to appear.

— Socrates

Wisdom

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.

— Socrates

Wisdom

Be as you wish to seem.

— Socrates

Wisdom

Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

— Socrates

Life

To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.

— Socrates

Education

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.

— Socrates

Happiness

Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.

— Socrates

Wisdom

Wisdom begins in wonder.

— Socrates

Wisdom

I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.

— Socrates

Wisdom

A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true.

— Socrates

Wisdom

I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean.

— Socrates

Wisdom

From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate.

— Socrates

Wisdom

Let him that would move the world first move himself.

— Socrates

Life

The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

— Socrates

Life

He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.

— Socrates

Wisdom

One who is injured ought not to return the injury, for on no account can it be right to do an injustice; and it is not right to return an injury, or to do evil to any man, however much we have suffered from him.

— Socrates

Wisdom

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.

— Socrates

Life

The unexamined life is not worth living.

— Socrates

Life

True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.

— Socrates

Education

Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.

— Socrates

Wisdom

Once made equal to man, woman becomes his superior.

— Socrates

Wisdom