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
hands needs tasks
The hardest task needs the lightest hand or else its completion will not lead to freedom but to a tyranny much worse than the one it replaces.
needs known values
The friend must be like money, that before you need it, the value is known.
needs mass
Often when looking at a mass of things for sale, he would say to himself, 'How many things I have no need of!'
needs
What a lot of things I don't need.
war animal needs
If we pursue our habit of eating animals, and if our neighbour follows a similar path, will we need to go to war against our neighbour to secure greater pasturage, because ours will not be enough to sustain us, and our neighbour will have a similar need to wage war on us for the same reason.
long needs enough
I have lived long enough to learn how much there is I can really do without.... He is nearest to God who needs the fewest things.
education filling vessel
Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel
beginning definition wisdom
The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.
glory nearest strive wish
The nearest way to glory is to strive to be what you wish to be thought to be
becomes equal equality man superior woman
Woman once made equal to man becomes his superior
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
bear beautiful carry consider cute-love dear external friendly gods grant harmony man moderate oh pan sweet-love wise
Oh dear Pan and all the other Gods of this place, grant that I may be beautiful inside. Let all my external possessions be in friendly harmony with what is within. May I consider the wise man rich. As for gold, let me have as much as a moderate man could bear and carry with him.