50 Thought-Provoking Quotes by Socrates 

Socrates (469–399 B.C.E.) was a Greek philosopher who is known from the writings of Plato and others. Although Socrates has not himself written anything he is considered one of the most few philosophers who has had a huge influence on Western philosophy and Classical antiquity. He was executed at the hands of Athenian democracy yet his influence reaches far beyond philosophy itself, and in every age. He was so impressive that many found him strange by the conventions of 5th century Athens and wrote about him. In this blog, you will find some of the most thought-provoking quotations by Socrates. Most of these Socrates quotes are introspective and can inspire you to take action.

6 Famous Socrates Quotes

Here are the six most popular quotes from Socrates 

1. I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think
2. The unexamined life is not worth living
3. The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
4. The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

I am not an Athenian, nor a Greek, but a citizen of the world.

6+ Socrates Quotes on Life

Read these wise saying by Socrates on human life 

1. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle
2. Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.
3. Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.
4. The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.
5. Every action has its pleasures and its price.
6. Be slow to fall into friendship, but when you are in, continue firm and constant

Every action has its pleasures and its price.

6 Socrates Quotes on Success 

Here are the some quotes that will help you achieve greatness

1. The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.
2. He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy
3. The secret to change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
4. Everyone wants to tell you what to do and what’s good for you. They don’t want you to find your own answers, they want you to believe theirs

I call myself a peaceful warrior because the battles we fight are on the inside.

Read 50 Thoughts for the Day to Inspire & Motivate You

6 Socrates Quotes on Education

Here are some of his best sayings on Education 

1. Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.
2. Prefer knowledge to wealth, for the one is transitory, the other perpetual.
3.  Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder
4. Once made equal to man, woman becomes his superior.

To find yourself, think for yourself.

Read 42 Thought of the Day for Students: Meaningful and Action-Oriented

6 Socrates Quotes About Self 

Here are some introspective socrates quotes that you should definitely read

1. If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality
2. He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.
3. Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others.
4. From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate.

The easiest and noblest way is not to be crushing others, but to be improving yourselves.

6 + Socrates Quotes on Intelligence 

Read some of the best quotes on human intelligence

1. Smart people learn from everything and everyone. Average people from their experiences. Stupid people already have all the answers.
2. 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.
3. In childhood be modest, in youth temperate, in adulthood just, and in old age prudent
4. If a man is proud of his wealth, he should not be praised until it is known how he employs it.
5. Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of – for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.

I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing.

6 Socrates Quotes on Knowledge 

Here are some of the best quotes on knowledge 

1. The only true freedom comes from knowledge
2. True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.
3. Falling down is not a failure. Failure comes when you stay where you have fallen.
4. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is a habit.

If you want to be wrong then follow the masses.

Read 50 Meaningful, Positive,& Inspirational Quotations in English

6 Socrates Quotes on Love

Read the best quotes on love by the Greek philosopher

1. Life contains but two tragedies. One is not to get your heart’s desire; the other is to get it. 
2. Love is madness. The madness of love is the greatest of Heaven’s blessings. 
3. Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love. 
4. Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity

One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life, and that word is love.

Now you have read it! The best and the most thought-provoking Socrates quotes. Write these quotes down or share them with anyone who needs an added dose of inspiration. You can also follow our page for more motivation.

Related Articles 

Thought of the Day: 25 Positive Thoughts for Today	50 Positive Thoughts for the Day to Start Your Morning
30+ Best Inspiring Swami Vivekananda Quotes	30+ Positive Quotes for Work: Quotes to Transform Your Workday
Today’s Thought in English: 50 Meaningful, Positive,   Inspirational Quotations	Thought of the Day: 42 Positive Quotes and Messages to Improve Someone’s Day