Greek Philosophers Quotes

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. – Socrates

Change is the only constant in life. – Heraclitus

Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not. – Epictetus

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle

The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. – Plato

The mind is everything. What you think, you become. – Buddha (inspired by Greek philosophy)

To find yourself, think for yourself. – Socrates

The measure of a man is what he does with power. – Plato

It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. – Seneca

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

The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts. – Marcus Aurelius

The greatest wealth is to live content with little. – Plato

Every action has its pleasures and its price. – Aristotle

He who is not a good servant will not be a good master. – Plato

In seeking wisdom, the first step is silence, the second listening, the third remembering, the fourth practicing, the fifth teaching others. – Solomon Ibn Gabirol (influenced by Greek philosophy)

The only way to deal with life’s difficulties is to face them courageously. – Epictetus

The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. – Socrates

Know thyself. – Oracle of Delphi (attributed to various Greek philosophers)

True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future. – Seneca

The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. – Zeno of Citium (founder of Stoicism)

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. – Marcus Aurelius

The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away. – Aristotle

A man should be upright, not be kept upright. – Marcus Aurelius

We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. – Aristotle

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others. – Aristotle

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. – Friedrich Nietzsche (influenced by Greek philosophy)

The measure of a man is what he does with power. – Plato

I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing. – Socrates

Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws. – Plato

The function of man is to live, not to exist. – Jack London (inspired by Greek philosophy)

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. – Helen Keller (inspired by Greek philosophy)

The most important part of education is proper training in the nursery. – Plato

You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. – Aristotle

The hardest victory is the victory over self. – Aristotle

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. – Epictetus

See and listen to the outrage of a million people marching to the same beat, all with one purpose: to overthrow the government. – Aeschylus

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away. – Raymond Hull (inspired by Greek philosophy)

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. – Marcus Aurelius

The best revenge is not to be like your enemy. – Marcus Aurelius

An empty vessel makes the loudest sound. – Plato

The only easy day was yesterday. – Heraclitus

Everything flows and nothing stays. – Heraclitus

The only real wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. – Socrates

A friend is a second self. – Aristotle

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. – Plutarch

It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows. – Epictetus

The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. – Epicurus

To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it. – Confucius (inspired by Greek philosophy)

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large. – Confucius (inspired by Greek philosophy)