II – Quotes by Socrates – The Cosmos, Education and Knowledge

The Cosmos

I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world

The great secret to fulfillment is very simple: share with others.

Know thyself and you will know the universe.

In whichever direction the soul navigates, it will never stumble upon its limits.

To know one’s self means to discover God in others.

Education

The characterizations of our youth should be modesty, humility, love, moderation, dedication, diligence, fairness, and education. These are the virtues that should form their character.

Those who the word does not educate, the cane will also not educate.

Knowledge

I consider firsthand investigation the reasoning behind all things – how they really are – and reject all opinions given without explanation.

Those who care to philosophy do not yield to the impulse of passion. The loss of wealth, poverty, or an existence without honor will be unable to intimidate them.

Shadow does not allow one to see, neither does looking directly at the light.

The spoken word is the golden thread of thought.

The unexamined life is not worth living.

Boys… Cease to profess words so vague! So young… and so self-proclaimed wise!

Wisdom begins in self reflection. The beginning of wisdom is the admittance of one’s own ignorance. The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.

True knowledge comes from the inside.

To find yourself, think for yourself.

Know thyself, become aware of one’s own ignorance, thus you will be wise.

The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance

Wise is he who is aware of his own limits.

I only know that I know nothing and this puts me in a position of advantage over other those who think they know something.

Life without science is a form of death.

Truth is not with men, but within them.

We are in fact convinced that if we are ever to have pure knowledge of anything, we must get rid of the body and contemplate things by themselves with the soul by itself. It seems, to judge from the argument, that the wisdom which we desire and upon which we profess to have set our hearts will be attainable only when we are dead and not in our lifetime.