Ancient Greek Philosophers

If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not recognize it when it arrives.

—Heraclitus

Allow yourself to think only those thoughts that match your principles and can bear the bright light of day. Day by day, your choices, your thoughts, your actions fashion the person you become. Your integrity determines your destiny.

—Heraclitus

Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.

—Heraclitus

The worst type of man behaves as badly in his waking life as some men do in their dreams.

—Plato

We ought to fly away from earth to heaven as quickly as we can; and to fly away is to become like God, as far as this is possible; and to become like him is to become holy, just, and wise.

—Plato

The first and the best victory is to conquer self.

—Plato

There must always remain something that is antagonistic to good.

—Plato

Whoever cannot seek the unforeseen sees nothing for the known way is an impasse.

—Heraclitus

One who is injured ought not to return the injury, for on no account can it be right to do an injustice.

—Socrates

Must not all things at the last be swallowed up in death?

—Plato

If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it; for it is hard to be sought out and difficult.

—Heraclitus

Wars and revolutions and battles are due simply and solely to the body and its desires.

All wars are undertaken for the acquisition of wealth; and the reason why we have to acquire wealth is the body, because we are slaves in its service.

—Socrates

Dogs bark at what they don’t understand.

—Heraclitus

Eyes and ears are bad witnesses to men having barbarian souls.

—Heraclitus

An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.

—Plato

The sun is the width of a human foot.

—Heraclitus

The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts.

—Heraclitus

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.

—Socrates

Every action has its pleasures and its price.

—Socrates

The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life.

—Plato

Even what those with the greatest reputation for knowing it all claim to understand and defend are but opinions.

—Heraclitus

For neither birth, nor wealth, nor honors, can awaken in the minds of men the principles which should guide those who from their youth aspire to an honorable and excellent life, as Love awakens them

—Plato

Character is simply habit long continued.

—Plato

All things will be produced in superior quantity and quality, and with greater ease, when each man works at a single occupation, in accordance with his natural gifts, and at the right moment, without meddling with anything else.

—Plato

Life has the name of life, but in reality it is death.

—Heraclitus

We are most nearly ourselves when we achieve the seriousness of the child at play.

—Heraclitus

Be slow to fall into friendship, but when you are in, continue firm and constant.

—Socrates

Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.

—Plato

Socrates: God is perfectly simple; he changes not; he deceives not, either by sign or word, by dream or waking vision.

—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