Socrates
Classical Athenian philosopher, the figure whose life and death gave Western philosophy its founding myth — the gadfly of Athens, condemned to death in 399 BCE for 'corrupting the youth' and 'impiety,' who chose to drink hemlock rather than abandon the philosophical life. Born around 470 BCE, son of a stonemason and a midwife, Socrates served as a hoplite in the Peloponnesian War and then turned to the questioning of his fellow citizens in the Athenian agora — a practice that produced no writings of his own but that his student Plato preserved in the great early dialogues (Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Symposium, Meno, Theaetetus). Xenophon's Memorabilia and Aristophanes's Clouds offer alternative portraits. The Socratic method — relentless questioning that reveals the questioner does not know what he thought he knew — became the foundation of philosophical inquiry; the Socratic claim that 'the unexamined life is not worth living' became its motto. He died in 399 BCE in Athens, surrounded by his students.
quotes in library
Quotes by Socrates
115 quotes“Which is better, only God knows.”
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
“I know that I know nothing.”
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
“There is only one good — knowledge. And only one evil — ignorance.”
“Be slow to fall into friendship; but when you are in, continue firm and constant.”
“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.”
“To find yourself, think for yourself.”
“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”
“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”
“It is wonder that drives the philosopher.”
“My friend, care for your psyche, know thyself.”
“For once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves.”
“But if we don't know ourselves, we'll never be able to.”
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”
“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
“An honest man is always a child.”
“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.”
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
Explore More Teachers
Discover wisdom from 500+ spiritual teachers across all traditions.
Browse All Teachers