25 Profound Greek Philosopher Quotes You’ll Want To Hear

Posted by , Updated on March 23, 2024

Ancient Greece is renowned for a variety of things, including its architecture, democracy, legendary heroes, and historically significant battles. That said, many scholars contend that the most enduring cultural contribution from this civilization is their independent thinkers, and the subsequent philosophy they fostered. Broadly speaking, everyone is familiar with the legendary trio of ancient Greek philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These influential figures made a range of profound comments that have since been passed down through the annals of history. Among these, Socrates’s famous declaration, “True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing,” perfectly encapsulates the era’s ceaseless pursuit of knowledge and exploration of reality and its nature.

Still, some of you might be wondering how it all started. The first man to come up with the word philosophy and who defined himself as a philosopher was the legendary mathematician and polymath Pythagoras. Many great thinkers followed after him, and it’s worth mentioning that many contemporary historians and scholars believe he wasn’t the first Greek philosopher but rather the first to define the term philosophy. To get an idea of what a strong, lasting impact ancient Greek philosophy has had on the world, here are 25 Profound Greek Philosopher Quotes You’ll Want To Hear that will definitely open your mind.

25

Excess of grief for the dead is madness, for it is an injury to the living, and the dead know it not. --Xenophon

XenophonSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
24

No human being will ever know the Truth, for even if they happen to say it by chance, they would not even know they had done so. —Xenophanes

XenophanesSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
23

It is frequently a misfortune to have very brilliant men in charge of affairs. They expect too much of ordinary men. —Thucydides

ThucydidesSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
22

The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself. - Thales

ThalesSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
21

Man is the measure of all things. —Protagoras

ProtagorasSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
20

The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits. —Plutarch

PlutarchSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
19

Man: a being in search of meaning. —Plato

PlatoSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
18

Wait for the wisest of all counselors to judge you . . . time. —Pericles

Pericles Source: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
17

Life is an unfoldment, and the further we travel the more truth we can comprehend. To understand the things that are at our door is the best preparation for understanding those that lie beyond. —Hypatia

HypatiaSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
16

Whatever comes from God is impossible for a man to turn back. —Herodotus

HerodotusSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
15

Death does not concern us because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist. —Epicurus

EpicurusSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
14

The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere. —Empedocles

EmpedoclesSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
13

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. —Demosthenes

Demosthenes Source: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
12

No evil is honorable, but death is honorable; therefore death is not evil. —Zeno of Citium

Zeno of CitiumSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
11

Anybody can become angry—that is easy, but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way—that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy. —Aristotle

AristotleSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
10

The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue. —Antisthenes

AntisthenesSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
9

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is just opinion. —Democritus

DemocritusSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
8

I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well. —Alexander the Great

Alexander the GreatSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
7

He has the most who is most content with the least. —Diogenes

DiogenesSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
6

By all means, get married: if you find a good wife, you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher. —Socrates

SocratesSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
5

Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws. —Plato

PlatoSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
4

Let no man be called happy before his death. Till then, he is not happy, only lucky. —Solon

SolonSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
3

You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. —Epicurus

EpicurusSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
2

There is nothing permanent except change. —Heraclitus

HeraclitusSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: Wikipedia
1

Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend. —Theophrastus

TheophrastusSource: Famous Greek quotes list - Greeka.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org


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