Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greekphilosopher credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Plato's dialogues are among the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity, though it is unclear the degree to which Socrates himself is "hidden behind his 'best disciple', Plato"...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPhilosopher
eyes given hear listening nature
Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and but one tongue-to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak.
eye
The duller eye may often see a thing sooner than the keener.
eye soul body
Just as you ought not to attempt to cure eyes without head or head without body, so you should not treat body without soul.
art eye reality
In order that the mind should see light instead of darkness, so the entire soul must be turned away from this changing world, until its eye can learn to contemplate reality and that supreme splendor which we have called the good. Hence there may well be an art whose aim would be to effect this very thing.
eye heroic-deeds soul
I was afraid that by observing objects with my eyes and trying to comprehend them with each of my other senses I might blind my soul altogether.
eye men self
It is a base thing for a man to wax old in careless self-neglect before he has lifted up his eyes and seen what manner of man he was made to be, in the full perfection of bodily strength and beauty. But these glories are withheld from him who is guilty of self-neglect, for they are not wont to blaze forth unbidden.
appear experience honor human increase practice reality shortest strengthen surest themselves virtues
The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.
ashamed care caring fame improvement money neither nor truth wisdom
Are you not ashamed of caring so much for the making of money and for fame and prestige, when you neither think nor care about wisdom and truth and the improvement of your soul?
enjoy enjoyment later
Enjoy yourself -- it's later than you think.
artificial contentment luxury natural poverty
Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty
good men virtue
Virtue does not come from wealth, but. . . wealth, and every other good thing which men have. . . comes from virtue.
beauty inward man outward
Give me beauty in the inward soul; may the outward and the inward man be at one.
bare compliments giving sensible
Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love.
knowledge
One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing.