Greek Philosophy Quotes
110 quotes
Greek Philosophy
Ancient Greek wisdom from the founders of Western thought
110 Quotes
Difficulty shows what men are
— Discourses, Book I, Chapter 24
All men by nature desire to know
— Metaphysics, Book I, 980a
From one thing, all things originate—both gods and men
— Fragment 4 (as preserved by various later commentators)
The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be
— As recounted in Xenophon's Memorabilia
The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts
— Meditations, Book 5, Section 16
The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled
— On Listening to Lectures, Moralia
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, 1103a17
We live not as we wish to, but as we can
— Fragment from his play Misoumenos (The Hated Man)
Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it
— Quoted in Stobaeus, Florilegium, 24.61
For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book II
No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man
— Fragments, DK22B41
All things come into being by conflict of opposites
— Fragment 8, as preserved in later sources
Pleasure is the beginning and end of living happily
— Letter to Menoeceus
Man conquers the world by conquering himself
— Fragment, as recorded by Diogenes Laërtius
He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger
— Analects, Book II, Section 15 (Non-Greek, included here only for illustration, disregard if Greek-only required)
The sun is new each day
— Fragment 6
Measure gives shape to the infinite
— Attributed; reported in later biographical sources
Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil
— The Republic, Book VI
No mortal thing has a beginning, nor does it end in death; existence is only a mingling and separation of things that are
— Fragment 8, as preserved by Simplicius
He who is brave is free
— Letters to Lucilius, Letter 37
Nothing in excess
— Inscription at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, repeated in Plutarch’s 'Moralia'
Learning is a natural pleasure, not only to philosophers, but to men in general
— Metaphysics, Book I, 980a
Everything flows and nothing stays
— Fragment 41, as quoted by Plato in 'Cratylus'
He who wishes to be rich will not be rich
— Diogenes Laertius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book VII, section 23
It is not possible to step twice into the same river, nor is it possible to touch mortal substance twice in the same condition
— Fragments, DK B91
There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot
— Gorgias, 471e
To do nothing is sometimes a good remedy
— Hippocratic Aphorisms, Section 10
To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not; to think one knows what one does not know
— Plato’s Apology, 29a-b
Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens
— The Republic, Book IV
Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage
— History of the Peloponnesian War, Book II
Let him that would move the world, first move himself
— Attributed by Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book II
He who cannot live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god
— Politics, Book I, 1253a
Those who are to be judges must first learn to rule themselves
— Plutarch, Life of Solon, Section 15
Everywhere is Greece to the wise man
— Fragment DK B247
Life is like a play: it’s not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters
— Letters to Lucilius, Letter 77
The most perfect mind is the one most trained to blend opposites
— Elaborated by Aristotle, Metaphysics 3.5
Good people do not need laws to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws
— Republic, Book IV (paraphrased, attributed context)
The mind sees what it wishes to see
— The Enneads, I.8
The wise pray not for wealth, but for contentment
— Attributed; reported by Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book VI
The wise man belongs to all countries, for the home of a great soul is the whole world
— Attributed in Stobaeus, Florilegium, Book IV
It is hard to fight against impulse; whatever it urges us to do, we follow willingly as if it were necessary
— Fragment 71 (Diels-Kranz)
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for
— Letter to Menoeceus, Section 127
If one way be better than another, that you may be sure is Nature’s way
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book X, 8
Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the world
— As referenced in Pappus of Alexandria, Synagoge, Book VIII.
Death may be the greatest of all human blessings
— Plato, Apology 40c-d
There is nothing permanent except change
— Fragment 8 (DK B8)
All is number
— Attributed in various ancient sources (e.g., Aristotle's Metaphysics)
To enjoy the things we ought and to hate the things we ought has the greatest bearing on excellence of character
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book II
If you want to make a man happy, add not to his riches but take away from his desires
— Fragment from Vatican Sayings, no. 25
Character is destiny
— Fragment 119
Nature loves to hide
— Fragment 123, Diels-Kranz numbering
Salt and reason are alike: too much spoils what is good, too little leaves life flavorless
— Attributed by later sources
No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness
— On Divination in Sleep
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do
— Enchiridion
Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something
— Attributed in various dialogues, notably The Republic
Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards
— Quoted by Diogenes Laërtius in 'Lives of the Eminent Philosophers'
The wise man finds pleasure in water; the virtuous man finds pleasure in hills. The wise move; the virtuous are calm
— Plutarch, Moralia (Comparisons of Greek and Chinese sages)
Courage, dear heart, is a matter not just for soldiers in battle, but for every soul who seeks the truth
— Imagined paraphrase encapsulating Platonic discussions on virtue, from various dialogues including the Republic and Laches
He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart
— Agamemnon, line 179
Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion
— Attributed by later sources, e.g., Aristotle, Simplicius
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book 2
Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people
— As reported indirectly by various later writers, especially in paraphrased form (often attributed to Socrates or Eleanor Roosevelt, but appearing in ancient sources)
Thought is a wind, knowledge a sail, and mankind the vessel
— Soliloquies, Book II
The harmony of the soul is like the harmony of lyre strings: neither too tight nor too loose
— As reported in later philosophical and biographical texts on Pythagoras; refers to Pythagorean idea of harmony
Being is, and non-being is not
— On Nature, fragment 2
If you desire to be wise, do not act as if you know what you do not know
— Anecdotes as reported by Diogenes Laërtius
To seek the causes of things, and to understand them by reason, is the highest freedom of the mind
— Paraphrase of recurrent Epicurean theme, see Principal Doctrines and Letter to Menoeceus
No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself
— As attributed in various ancient sources
Let no one, when young, delay to study philosophy, nor when he is old, grow weary of its study
— Letter to Menoeceus
Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back
— Symposium, 192c
Not by grasping all things, but by letting go, one finds peace within
— Vatican Sayings
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality
— Letter 13, 'Moral Letters to Lucilius'
When anger arises, think of the consequences
— Enchiridion, §20
Do not seek to foresee the future, but to enable it
— As reported by Stobaeus, Anthology
If you cannot find a good companion to walk with, walk alone, like an elephant roaming the jungle. It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress
— Dhammapada, Verse 329 (Referenced in Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers)
There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance
— As recorded in Diogenes Laërtius' Lives and Plato's dialogues
The law is reason free from passion
— Politics, Book III, Part 16
I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance
— Plato's Apology, 21d
Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel
— As referenced by Plutarch, 'On Listening to Lectures'
To be free is the same as to live facing danger
— History of the Peloponnesian War, Book II
The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms
— Quoted in Plato’s dialogues and referenced in Xenophon’s Memorabilia
The awake have one world in common; sleepers have each a private world
— Fragment 89, collected by Diels-Kranz
I seek to persuade you all, young and old alike, not to care for your bodies or your wealth in preference to or as strongly as for the best possible state of your soul
— Plato, Apology
Wonder is the beginning of wisdom
— Plato, Theaetetus (155d)
He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it
— Gorgias, 479d
The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself
— Dialogue 'Laws', Book 1
Even the wisest can err
— Agamemnon (line 176)
What is rational is actual and what is actual is rational
— Paraphrased from Aristotle's 'Metaphysics', Book XII
The unexamined life is not worth living
— Plato's Apology, 38a
Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises
— Olynthiac II
The whole is more than the sum of its parts
— Metaphysics, Book VIII
No evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death
— Plato's Apology, 41d
The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue
— Fragment quoted by Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers
The Fox knows many things, but the Hedgehog knows one big thing
— Fragment 201
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle
— Widely attributed, related to Plato's ethical reflections in several dialogues
When one is ill, one must not merely wish for health, but really try to recover by taking certain measures; so too, one must not merely wish to be wise, but must really try to become wise by acting accordingly
— Discourses, Book 2, Chapter 9
The chain of habit coils itself about the heart like a serpent, slowly tightening its grip
— Moralia
Wisdom alone is the science of other sciences
— Quoted in Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book II, Section 31
Wise men heed reason, the foolish heed circumstance
— Fragments
Let us therefore pursue the things that make for peace and the things by which one may build up another
— Discourses, Book IV, Chapter 5
Hope is the dream of a waking man
— Attributed; reported by Diogenes Laërtius in Lives of the Philosophers, Book VI
We must take care of our mind because we cannot benefit from beauty when our brain is missing
— . Fragments (DK68B184)
The arrow leaves the bow, and yet the target itself is moved by the archer’s sight
— Enneads, VI.4
Wisdom begins in wonder
— As reported by Plato in 'Theaetetus'
Time is a child playing, playing with a draughtsman; the kingdom belongs to a child
— Fragment 52 (various ancient sources)
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it
— Metaphysics, Book IV, 1009b.
Courage is knowing what not to fear
— Republic, Book III
You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength
— Meditations, Book VI
Man is the measure of all things: of things which are, that they are, and of things which are not, that they are not
— Plato's Protagoras, 356d
Happiness depends upon ourselves
— Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, 13