Socrates, the great ancient Greek philosopher, is considered one of the wisest thinkers of all time. His teachings continue to inspire discussions on ethics, success, love, education, and democracy. Here are some of the most profound Socrates quotes that will challenge your perspective and elevate your thinking.

Socrates Quotes

Socrates' words are timeless, offering wisdom about life, self-improvement, and the pursuit of truth.

• “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
• “To find yourself, think for yourself.”
• “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
• “Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.”
• “He who is not contented with what he has would not be contented with what he wants.”
• “I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”
• “Let him who would move the world first move himself.”
• “Wisdom begins in wonder.”
• “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”
• “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

Socrates Quotes on Success

True success, according to Socrates, comes from self-awareness, continuous learning, and virtue.

• “The secret to happiness is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
• “Falling down is not failure. Failure comes when you stay where you have fallen.”
• “Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others.”
• “Success is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall.”
• “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.”
• “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
• “It is not living that matters, but living rightly.”
• “Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.”
• “Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.”
• “The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be.”

Socrates Quotes on Life

Socrates taught that life should be a journey of growth, wisdom, and moral integrity.

• “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
• “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”
• “Understanding yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
• “Life contains but two tragedies. One is not to get your heart’s desire; the other is to get it.”
• “Let him who would move the world first move himself.”
• “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
• “Life is full of questions. Learning is never-ending.”
• “Be as you wish to seem.”
• “He is richest who is content with the least.”
• “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.”

Socrates Quotes on Love

Love, according to Socrates, is about wisdom, connection, and personal growth.

• “The hottest love has the coldest end.”
• “Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant.”
• “One who loves goodness is not simply good, but is seeking to become so.”
• “Love is a serious mental disease.”
• “Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the gods.”
• “Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together.”
• “Wisdom and love are inseparable companions.”
• “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.”
• “To love another deeply gives you strength. To be loved deeply gives you courage.”
• “A man is truly wise if he understands that he is not the only one in the world.”

Socrates Quotes on Education

Socrates believed that true education comes from questioning, curiosity, and self-reflection.

• “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
• “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.”
• “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
• “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”
• “Learning begins with questioning.”
• “It is better to change an opinion than to persist in a wrong one.”
• “A good teacher is like a candle—it consumes itself to light the way for others.”
• “The mind is everything; what you think, you become.”
• “Know thyself. The unexamined life is not worth living.”
• “The highest form of education is self-examination.”

Socrates Quotes on Intelligence

Socrates emphasized that intelligence is about continuous learning, questioning, and humility.

• “Intelligent individuals learn from everything and everyone; average people learn from their experiences. The stupid already have all the answers.”
• “He is the wisest who admits he knows nothing.”
• “A fool thinks himself wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
• “True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.”
• “The mind is everything; what you think, you become.”
• “Ignorance is the root of all evil.”
• “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.”
• “Wisdom begins in wonder.”
• “It is better to be wise alone than to be foolish with many.”
• “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.”

Socrates Quotes on Knowledge

For Socrates, knowledge was the key to self-improvement and a meaningful life.

• “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.”
• “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
• “To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.”
• “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.”
• “He who is not a good servant will not be a good master.”
• “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”
• “To find yourself, think for yourself.”
• “Knowledge without action is meaningless.”
• “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”
• “Education is the best provision for old age.”

Socrates Quotes on Democracy

Socrates had deep concerns about democracy, warning against uninformed masses making important decisions.

• “Democracy is a system where the ignorant rule the intelligent.”
• “When the wise refuse to rule, they are ruled by fools.”
• “A system where votes are given to all, regardless of wisdom, is doomed.”
• “The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.”
• “Democracy, if left unchecked, leads to the rule of demagogues.”
• “A society that prefers comfort over wisdom is bound to collapse.”
• “Democracy leads to an excess of freedom, which ultimately leads to tyranny.”
• “Ruling a nation is not the same as ruling a mob.”
• “A democracy that gives equal say to the wise and the foolish is doomed.”
• “Without education, democracy becomes the tyranny of the masses.”