Socrates Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old Socrates quotes, Socrates sayings, and Socrates proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.'

Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us. Socrates
Fame is the perfume of heroic deeds. Socrates
No evil can happen to a good man, either in life or death. Socrates
A promise should be given with caution and kept with care. Socrates
My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher. Socrates
I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think. Socrates
By all means marry; of you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates
False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. Socrates
The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. Socrates
Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates
Nobody is qualified to become a statesman who is entirely ignorant of the problem of wheat. Socrates
All thinking begins with wondering. Socrates
The understanding of mathematics is necessary for a sound grasp of ethics. Socrates
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. Socrates
Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and but one tongue, to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak. Socrates
The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world, is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them. Socrates
Fame is the perfume of heroic deeds. Socrates
Contentment is natural wealth; luxury is artificial poverty. Socrates
Contentment is the soil in which true joy grows. Socrates
Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love. Socrates
Sometimes you have to let go to see if there was anything worth holding onto. Socrates
The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new. Socrates
Self-awareness is a way of healing from unconscious conflict since it offers an opportunity for the individual to analyze the nature of his or her interpersonal relationships and with the self. Socrates
Children nowadays are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers. Socrates
Wealth is a lot of things that a man can do without. Socrates
Be as you wish to seem. Socrates
The best seasoning for food is hunger for drink, thirst. Socrates
Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher and wisdom begins in wonder. Socrates
Death may be the greatest of all human blessings. Socrates
If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition...Measure and symmetry are beauty and virtue the world over. Socrates