14 Transcendent Quotes from Greek Philosophical Giants
November 16, 2023Aristotle once proclaimed, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom," a principle that embodies the essence of Greek philosophy and continues to impact modern Western thought across generations. The ancient Greeks pioneered an analytical approach to understanding the world, emphasizing reason and empirical evidence, notions that acted as the keystone during the Enlightenment era. This period witnessed a resurgence of such Greek ideals, notably epistemological and ethical inquiries.
Greek philosophical doctrines, especially those articulated by prominent figures such as Plato and Socrates, hold intrinsic value in their ability to foster critical thinking and shape methodologies across different fields like science, politics, and ethics. As renowned philosopher Alfred North Whitehead noted, the entirety of European philosophical thought is essentially "a series of footnotes to Plato." This profound impact underscores an enduring connection between the careful examination conducted by ancient Greek thinkers and the continuously changing frameworks of modern philosophical discussions.
If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not recognize it when it arrives.Heraclitus
The drops of rain make a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling.Lucretius
The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere.Empedocles
The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.Socrates
If you are to be kept right, you must possess either good friends or red-hot enemies. The one will warn you, the other will expose you.Diogenes
Of all the means to ensure happiness throughout the whole life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends.Epicurus
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.Aristotle
The one who learns and learns and doesn't practice is like the one who plows and plows and never plants.Plato
Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.Epicurus
A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool because he has to say something.Plato
Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.Aristotle
Everywhere man blames nature and fate yet his fate is mostly but the echo of his character and passion, his mistakes and his weaknesses.Democritus
When men dream, each has his own world. When they are awake, they have a common world.Heraclitus
Learn silence. With the quiet serenity of a meditative mind, listen, absorb, transcribe, and transform.Pythagoras
