Monday 7 January 2008

The Wisdom of Socrates

 



Socrates was the first of the three great Athenian philosophers (the other two are Plato and Aristotle). Socrates was born in Athens in 469 BC, so he lived through the time of Pericles and the Athenian Empire. He never wrote down his thoughts but his student Plato did write down some of his sayings after his death.

He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit.

Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.

Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.

Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.

I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.

Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live.

Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim, "Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth, and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all?

Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in good fortune nor too scornful in misfortune.

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