Socrates

Well I am certainly wiser than this man. It is only too likely that neither of us has any knowledge to boast of; but he thinks that he knows something which he does not know, whereas I am quite conscious of my ignorance. At any rate it seems that I am wiser than he is to this small extent, that I do not think that I know what I do not know.

Crito, I owe a cock to Asclepius; will you remember to pay the debt?

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

Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.

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

See one promontory, one mountain, one sea, one river and see all.

The one who prosperity takes too much delight in will be the most shocked by reverses.

Society therefore is an ancient as the world.

We are not what we are, nor do we treat or esteem each other for such, but for what we are capable of being.

You cannot spend money in luxury without doing good to the poor. Nay, you do more good to them by spending it in luxury, than by giving it; for by spending it in luxury, you make them exert industry, whereas by giving it, you keep them idle.

Why, except as a means of livelihood, a man should desire to act on the stage when he has the whole world to act in, is not clear to me.

Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it come to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.

The words which express our faith and piety are not definite; yet they are significant and fragrant like frankincense to superior natures.

There’s not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.

The soul is pure when it leaves the body and drags nothing bodily with it, by virtue of having no willing association with the body in life but avoiding it… Practicing philosophy in the right way is a training to die easily.

Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.

The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his personal dignity.

This ain’t fun. But you watch me, I’ll get it done.

Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.

If women were as fastidious as men, morally or physically, there would be an end of the race.

For what avail the plough or sail, Or land or life, if freedom fail?