Socrates Quotes

A Top 10 list of Socrates quotes, carefully selected to give you a glimpse into this great mind. The wisdom of this ancient Greek philosopher has reverberated through the centuries.

NASA image of field of stars taken by Hubble with Socrates quote

Taken by the Hubble telescope, this field of stars is about 20,000 light-years away. They are some of the oldest in the Milky Way and have shone for billions of years.

Socrates

Profile: Socrates was born in 469 BC near Athens. What we know about him comes mostly from Plato as Socrates didn't write anything. His father was a stone mason and sculptor and Socrates seems to have followed in these footsteps before he devoted himself to his philosophical interests.

Socrates gained fame and popularity amongst the youth with his intellect and questioning. However his made approach, to jolt people out of their ignorance with questions, made him enemies. And the fact he knew many of the group that betrayed Athens in 404 BC didn't help.

Socrates was put on trial for corrupting the youth and heresy. He was sentenced to death in 399 BC by drinking a cup of poison hemlock which he willing took.

Socrates could have escaped Athens, but his noble death and the integrity and wisdom he showed in his life has made him a legend and inspirational figure to this day.



A Top 10 List of Socrates Quotes

1:

"Be as you wish to seem."

- Socrates



2:

"Be slow to fall into friendship;
but when thou art in, continue firm and constant."

- Socrates



3:

"I am the wisest man alive,
for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing."

- Socrates



4:

"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



5:

"Wisdom begins in wonder."

- Socrates



6:

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

- Socrates



7:

"It is not living that matters, but living rightly."

- Socrates



8:

"Death may be the greatest of all human blessings."

- Socrates



9:

"The end of life is to be like God,
and the soul following God will be like him."

- Socrates



10:

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

- Socrates



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Link to Plato quotes

Plato

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Aristotle




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