Profoundly inspirational Greek philosopher quotes will challenge the way you think, change the way you live and transform your whole life.
Famous Greek Philosopher Quotes
Fate is the endless chain of causation, whereby things are; the reason or formula by which the world goes on. — Citium Zeno
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. — Aristotle
Much learning does not teach understanding. — Heraclitus
The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. — Socrates
No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nature and education. — Plato
No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. — Heraclitus
People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die. — Plato
The foundation of every state is the education of its youth. — Diogenes
There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot. — Plato
True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us. — Socrates
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws. — Plato
Difficulties are things that show a person what they are. — Epictetus (see more Epictetus quotes)
Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live. — Socrates
The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. — Aristotle
Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul. — Democritus
The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. — Epictetus
Men who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details. — Heraclitus
Throw moderation to the winds, and the greatest pleasures bring the greatest pains. — Democritus
He has the most who is most content with the least. — Diogenes
There was never a genius without a tincture of madness. — Aristotle
Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence. — Democritus
Moral habits, induced by public practices, are far quicker in making their way into men’s private lives, than the failings and faults of individuals are in infecting the city at large. — Plutarch
Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempest. — Epicurus
No one that encounters prosperity does not also encounter danger. — Heraclitus
All the earth is mine, and I have a right to go all over it and through it. — Apollonius of Tyana
Everything existing in the universe is the fruit of chance and necessity. — Democritus
When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger. — Epictetus
If I had followed the multitude, I should not have studied philosophy. — Chrysippus
For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories. — Plato
You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. — Aristotle
Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others. — Churchill
It is hard to contend against one’s heart’s desire; for whatever it wishes to have it buys at the cost of soul. — Heraclitus
Good means not merely not to do wrong, but rather not to desire to do wrong. — Democritus
It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. — Epictetus
Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character. — Heraclitus
Knowledge without justice ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom. — Plato
It is a true man’s part not to err, but it is also noble of a man to perceive his error. — Apollonius of Tyana
Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet. — Plato
Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered. — Aristotle
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle
Control thy passions lest they take vengence on thee. — Epictetus
I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better. — Plutarch
Those who intend on becoming great should love neither themselves nor their own things, but only what is just, whether it happens to be done by themselves or others. — Plato
Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts. — Aristotle
Medicine to produce health must examine disease; and music, to create harmony must investigate discord. — Plutarch
Riches do not exhilarate us so much with their possession as they torment us with their loss. — Epicurus
If thou suffer injustice, console thyself; the true unhappiness is in doing it. — Democritus
The energy of the mind is the essence of life. — Aristotle
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self. — Aristotle
Misfortune shows those who are not really friends. — Aristotle
