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.

My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you.

The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.

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

I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live.

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

To be, or not to be; that is the bare bodkin That makes calamity of so long life;

I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell – you see, I have friends in both places.

I believe that every person is born with talent.

That man is idle who can do something better.

Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

If anyone were to ask me what I want out of life I would say- the opportunity for doing something useful, for in no other way, I am convinced, can true happiness be attained.

What loneliness is more lonely than distrust?

Often, the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it.

Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child.

Indeed, history is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes.

Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.

If it matters, it will hurt like knives or wrap and lift you in the most immeasurable joy. Or both. One thing is certain, you will feel intensely alive.

I am sorry to think that you do not get a man’s most effective criticism until you provoke him. Severe truth is expressed with some bitterness.

Skepticism is unbelief in cause and effect.

The mark of the man of the world is absence of pretension. He does not make a speech; he takes a low business-tone, avoids all brag, is nobody, dresses plainly, promises not at all, performs much, speaks in monosyllables, hugs his fact. He calls his employment by its lowest name, and so takes from evil tongues their sharpest weapon. His conversation clings to the weather and the news, yet he allows himself to be surprised into thought, and the unlocking of his learning and philosophy.