Socrates can be considered the founder of European philosophy. He was the first to speak about the need to change a person as such and his way of life. Before him, philosophers talked about the nature of the world, built various “scientific” conclusions, and he made a 180-degree turn and approved what is happening inside a person as the most important.

Some interesting facts about the life of Socrates:

- Approximate date of birth 469 BC, date of death 399 BC.

- Was married twice. The first wife of Xanthippus, whose viciousness was legendary and on whom Socrates honed his unshakable patience. The second is Mirtha. He had three children (sons) in total.

— He was the first to teach the art of rhetoric. Moreover, he did not demand payment from students.

- Socrates was the teacher of Plato, no less famous and outstanding ancient Greek philosopher. But their lifestyles were different. Socrates was primarily interested in the practical side of philosophy, the morality of the way of life and behavior, while Plato was interested in theoretical models.

- Like Christ, he did not make any records of his speeches and teachings. And I didn't read much at all. All of his famous quotations and sayings were later recorded by his students, mainly Xenophon of Athens and Plato.

- He had an extremely highly developed intuition with which he measured all his actions. If a purely rational matter seemed 100% correct, but intuition opposed it, Socrates refused it. And this happened regularly.

- He ate exclusively simple, cheap food (again, like Christian monks), and rarely and in small quantities, he tried to abstain from sex, walked barefoot and regularly exercised. Which in the end made his health unusually strong, and his spirit persistent. This was part of his "philosophical life" program.

- At one time he was engaged in a trading "business", buying and reselling goods.

- He was such a strong orator that as a result of Tirana he was even forbidden to teach his art.

— Pythia the soothsayer uttered the famous quote that "Socrates is above all in his wisdom."

- Socrates received thrashings not only at home from Xanthippe, but also from those defeated in verbal disputes. Also, for the sake of training, he went to hot places where he was insulted by women of easy virtue.

— Didn't like to travel (perhaps it was part of his practice of a philosophical lifestyle).

- Socrates gratefully rejected the generous gifts of friends, considering independence to be a higher good.

- Of the visible benefits of life, he valued his friends most of all.

- Don't be afraid to learn something new. So in his old age he studied the art of playing the lyre.

- When he was about to drink poisonous hemlock (as a death sentence pronounced by the court), his friend Apollodorus offered him a beautiful cloak to die in. “Is my own cloak fit to live in, and not fit to die in?” Socrates said.

Famous quotes and sayings of Socrates

Without good mutual feelings, communication between people is of no use.

Self-education is a difficult task, but there is nothing more important in life than the reasonable education of oneself and one's loved ones.

In a clear distinction between useful and harmful is the root of wisdom.

/This quote is parallel to the statement recognizing knowledge as the greatest asset of man./

The word of a virtuous person is strong and worth a lot. In his cases, loud promises and oaths are completely unnecessary.

Every decent person should be guided in his actions by a simple criterion - whether what I am going to do is fair, and whether it will bring good to people.

When a person is attentive and careful about his health, then you will not find a doctor who will determine better than him what is good for his health.

Wisdom is the greatest good, stupidity is the worst misfortune.

If you want to get married, get married. With a good wife you will be happy, with a bad wife you will learn to philosophize.

So that I understand what kind of person you are - speak up!

Just as it is impossible to heal the eyes without taking care of the head, so it is impossible to heal the body without taking care of the soul.

Is it possible to be healthy in body and spirit while remaining a slave to pleasures?

/What ruins our health if not a passionate attachment to gluttony and sex?!/

If you want to change the world,
Recycle yourself first.

Than live in shame and dishonor
Choose death.

Girlish love is much more dangerous than male enmity. Poison is worse the more pleasant it is.

In wealth, pleasure and luxury, people see the sources of happiness. But it seems to me that the absence of desires is true happiness, that is where divine delight lies. Therefore, a person who needs the least goods for life is the happiest.

The fire is inflamed by the wind, and passion is intimacy.

Done in a hurry is rarely done well.

I think the richest is the one who needs less than others.

A good friend is more precious than any treasure.

/In this quote, Socrates says that friends can replace money, but the money of friends cannot./

The less a person needs
He is closer to the gods.

/ The quote is free. He spoke, of course, not in poetic form.

People live to eat, but I eat to live.

The best time to eat is when you are hungry.

For me, an unbearable wife is the same as wild stallions for riders. Having overcome them, they easily cope with others. Here I am, in communication with Xanthippe, learning the art of interacting with other people.

Health is not everything - but without it, everything is nothing.

Be happy with what you have. But strive for the best.

The realization of our most passionate desires often leads to the biggest troubles.

/ In modern religions, there are many quotes with a similar meaning. There is even a folk wisdom - "Be afraid of your desires."

Deception is not only disgusting in itself, but it also has a detrimental effect on the soul of a person.

To experience evil on yourself is better than to do it yourself.

To become knowledgeable, be inquisitive.

How many different things are there in the world,
Easy to live without!

/ Aphorism calling us to moderation, as opposed to consumer culture. It can be seen even 2.5 thousand years ago, it flourished quite well./

Wealth and fame do not make a person better. And sometimes even vice versa.

“Your beloved fellow citizens condemned you to death.
- Well, nature condemned them to death.

It's funny that we are not too lazy to look for the missing slave, and we leave the search for virtue to the mercy of fate.

Every person can easily say how many sheep he has, but not everyone will be able to name how many friends he has - they are so worthless.

A good start is not a trifle, although it begins with a trifle.

/Reminds me of the saying that a long journey begins with one small step./

When he was informed that someone was speaking ill of him. "That's because he wasn't taught to speak well."

When Antisthenes turned to expose the holes in his cloak, he said to Antisthenes, "Through this cloak I can see your vanity."

When someone informed him that Antisthenes was born from a Thracian woman, Socrates replied: “Did you think that such a noble person could only be born from full citizens?

/ Quote indicating that Socrates was a tolerant person (at the time of prosperous slavery). And his devotion to democratic values ​​is reliably known.

Mathematics should be studied only to such an extent as to be able to use it in everyday life and trade.

Once Socrates invited rich guests to dinner, and Xanthippe was ashamed of his dinner. “Do not be afraid,” he said, “if they are decent people, they will be satisfied, but if they are empty, then we don’t care about them.”

(470-399 BC) philosopher, student of Anaxagoras, from Athens

No one can learn anything from a person who does not like.

In his prayers, he [Socrates] simply asked the gods to grant good, for the gods know better than anyone what good consists in.

[Socrates] advised avoiding such foods that tempt a person to eat without feeling hungry. (...) He joked that Kirk [Circe] must have turned people into pigs, treating them to such foods in abundance; and Odysseus (...) refrained from excessive use of them and therefore did not turn into a pig.

Those who want to have a lot of trouble themselves and deliver them to others, I (...) would put in the category of those fit for power.

If, living among people, you do not want to rule or be subject and do not voluntarily serve the rulers, then I think you see how strong (...) and entire communities are able to keep everyone separately in slavery.

It is not very easy to find a job for which you will not hear reproaches; it is very difficult to do something in such a way that nothing is wrong.

Envious people (...) are only those who grieve over the happiness of friends.

It is difficult (…) to find a doctor who would know better than the person himself (…) what is good for his health.

[Before the start of the trial of Socrates, one of his friends asked:] “Shouldn’t (…) you also think about what to say in your defense?” – Socrates (…) answered: “But wasn’t (…) my whole life a preparation for defense?”

Fervently devoted to Socrates, but a simple-hearted man, a certain Apollodorus, said: "But it is especially hard for me, Socrates, that you are unjustly sentenced to death." Socrates, they say, patted him on the head and said: “Would it be nicer for you (…) to see that I was justly sentenced?”

I went to the poets (...) and asked them what exactly they wanted to say, so that, by the way, I could learn something from them. I am ashamed (...) to tell you the truth, but it still needs to be told. (...) Almost all those present there could better explain what was done by these poets than they themselves. (...) Not by wisdom they can do what they do, but by some kind of innate ability and in a frenzy, like fortunetellers and soothsayers; for these also say many good things, but they do not know at all what they are talking about.

The wisest is he who, like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is truly worth nothing.

There is no such person who could survive if he openly opposed (...) the majority and would like to prevent all the many injustices and lawlessness that are committed in the state. No, whoever really stands up for justice, even if he is destined to survive for a short time, should remain a private person, and should not enter the public arena.

[Socrates] used to say that he himself eats to live, while other people live to eat.

If someone were to take that night on which he slept so that he did not even dream, compare this night with the rest of the nights and days of his life and, on reflection, say how many days and nights he lived better in his life and more pleasant than that night, then, I think, not only every simple person, but even the Great King himself would find that it is worthless to count such days compared to the rest. So if death is like that, I (...) will call it gain, because in this way it turns out that the whole life is nothing better than one night.

Think less of Socrates, but mostly of truth.

[Last words:] We owe Asclepius a rooster. So give, don't forget. (The rooster was brought to Asclepius, the god of healing, by convalescents. Socrates believed that death for his soul was recovery and liberation from earthly hardships.)

They say that Euripides gave him [Socrates] the work of Heraclitus and asked his opinion; he replied: “What I understood is fine; what I didn’t understand, probably, too.”

Often he [Socrates] would say, looking at the many market goods: “How many things are there without which you can live!”

Surprisingly, every person can easily say how many sheep he has, but not everyone can name how many friends he has - they are so worthless.

[Beauty is] a short-lived realm.

[Socrates] said (...) that he knows only that he knows nothing.

To a man who asked whether he should marry or not, he [Socrates] replied: "Do what you want, you will repent anyway."

When he [Antisthenes] began to flaunt a hole in his cloak, Socrates, noticing this, said: “Through this cloak I see your vanity!”

Socrates once had to exhort (...) [Alcibiades], who was shy and afraid to speak to the people. To encourage and reassure him, Socrates asked: "Don't you despise that shoemaker over there?" - and the philosopher called his name. Alcibiades answered in the affirmative; then Socrates continued: “Well, what about this peddler or handkerchief-maker?” The young man confirmed again. “So,” continued Socrates, “the Athenian people are made up of such people. If you despise everyone individually, you should despise everyone as a whole.”

When he [Socrates] was told: "The Athenians condemned you to death," he replied: "But nature condemned them themselves."

Seeing that the government of thirty [tyrants] was killing the most glorious citizens and persecuting those who possessed significant wealth, Socrates (...) said: “(...) There has never been such a brave and daring tragic poet who would bring a choir doomed to death to the stage !"

When Socrates fell ill in old age and someone asked him how things were going, the philosopher replied: “Excellent in every sense: if I manage to get better, I will make more envious people, and if I die, more friends.”

It is not difficult to praise the Athenians among the Athenians.

Socrates, when he was already sentenced to death and imprisoned, having heard how one musician sang the verses of Stesichorus to the accompaniment of the lyre, asked him to teach him while there was still time; to the question of the singer, what good would it be for him, when he had to die the day after tomorrow, Socrates replied: "To die, knowing a little more."

The sun has one drawback: it cannot see itself.

I only know that I know nothing.

The less a person needs, the closer he is to the gods.

Who wants to move the world, let him move himself!

A good start is not a trifle, although it starts with a trifle.

Education is a difficult task, and improving its conditions is one of the sacred duties of every person, for there is nothing more important than the education of oneself and one's neighbors.

There is only one good - knowledge and only one evil - ignorance.

The highest wisdom is to distinguish between good and evil.

Wisdom is the queen of heaven and earth.

It is easier for people to keep a hot coal on their tongue than a secret.

A good adviser is better than any wealth.

Good people should be trusted by word and reason, not by oath.

Speak so that I can see you.

It is better to die courageously than to live in shame.

Without friendship, no communication between people has value.

It would be good for a person to examine himself, how much he costs for friends, and that he tries to be as expensive as possible.

The love of a woman is more to be feared than the hatred of a man. It is a poison, all the more dangerous because it is pleasurable.

The flame is inflamed by the wind, and attraction is intimacy.

Beauty is a queen who reigns for a very short time.

Marriage, to tell the truth, is an evil, but a necessary evil.

Get married no matter what. If you get a good wife, you will be an exception, and if you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher.

In clothes, try to be elegant, but not dandy; the sign of grace is decency, and the sign of panache is excess.

When the word does not hit, then the stick will not help.

What man, being a slave to pleasures, does not pervert his body and soul.

He is the richest who is satisfied with the little, for such contentment testifies to the wealth of nature.

I want to make it more balanced with the help of gymnastics of the whole body.

The best seasoning for food is hunger.

You cannot heal the body without healing the soul.

If a person takes care of his own health, it is difficult to find a doctor who would know better for his health than he does.

I know that I don't know anything

“I know that I know nothing,” said Socrates. “But people imagine that they know something, but it turns out that they don’t know anything. So it turns out that, knowing about my ignorance, I know more than everyone else.

Donkeys are not offended

Once, during a dispute, the opponent of Socrates could not restrain himself and hit him. Frightened by what had happened, he began to persuade the philosopher not to sue him.

“If a donkey kicks me, will I sue him?” Socrates said to the striker.

Cooking Socrates

Socrates laughed at those who cared only about their material needs.

- I eat to live. And some people live to eat, he said.

To whom what

Passing through the bazaar, Socrates said:

“There are so many things in the world that you can do without! People buy expensive pleasures in the market, and I get pleasures for free from my soul.

Reason for good mood

One day a student asked Socrates:

“Tell me why you are always in a good mood?”

Socrates replied:

“Because I don't have anything that I would regret if I lost it.

Easier down than up

Getera Callisto once mockingly told Socrates that if she wanted to, she would lure all his friends and students to her, but he would not be able to do this with her friends.

“Of course,” said the philosopher. - It's easier for you: after all, you call to go down, and I - to go up.

Borrow from yourself

Once, an acquaintance of Socrates, known for his extravagance, asked from whom he could borrow money.

“Borrow from yourself—cut your expenses,” Socrates told him.

To marry or not to marry

Socrates was approached by one of his students:

- I thought about getting married. What do you advise me?

The philosopher replied:

“Look, don’t be vouchsafed to fish that, once in a net, strive to break free, and being free, strive for a net. No matter what you do, you will still regret it later.

Who cares

Xanthippus was allowed to see Socrates, who was sentenced to death, for the last meeting. She wailed:

You are dying innocent!

Socrates replied:

"Would you like me to die guilty?"

What's better

Speaking at the trial after he was sentenced to death, Socrates said:

Well, I'm leaving to die. You will stay to live. And which of these is better, a person does not know.

From the book of V. Butromeev "World History in Persons"

April 27 is Philosophy Day in Japan! On this day in 399 BC, the great thinker of antiquity Socrates was executed.

STORIES

About Socrates

I know that I don't know anything

I know that I know nothing, said Socrates. “But people imagine that they know something, and it turns out that they don’t know anything. So it turns out that, knowing about my ignorance, I know more than everyone else.

Donkeys are not offended

Once, during a dispute, the opponent of Socrates could not restrain himself and hit him. Frightened by what had happened, he began to persuade the philosopher not to sue him.
- If a donkey kicks me, will I sue him? Socrates said to the striker.

Cooking Socrates

Socrates laughed at those who cared only about their material needs.
- I eat to live. And some people live to eat, he said.

Passing through the bazaar, Socrates said:
There are so many things in the world that you can do without! People buy expensive pleasures in the market, and I get pleasures for free from my soul.

Reason for good mood

One day a student asked Socrates:
- Explain to me why you are always in a good mood?
Socrates replied:
Because I don't have anything that I would regret if I lost it.

Easier down than up

Getera Callisto once mockingly told Socrates that if she wanted to, she would lure all his friends and students to her, but he would not be able to do this with her friends.
“Of course,” said the philosopher. - It's easier for you: after all, you are calling to go down, and I - to go up.

Borrow from yourself

Once, an acquaintance of Socrates, known for his extravagance, asked from whom he could borrow money.
- Borrow from yourself - cut your expenses - Socrates told him.

Thunder and rain

After a learned conversation with friends, Socrates was returning home. His wife Xanthippe met the philosopher with abuse, then doused him with water.
“That is as it should be,” Socrates said calmly to his disciples. Thunder first, then rain.

To marry or not to marry?

Socrates was approached by one of his students:
- I thought about getting married. What do you advise me?
The philosopher replied:
- Look out for the fish, which, once in a net, tend to break free, and being free, tend to a net. No matter what you do, you will still regret it later.

When Socrates read the writings of the philosopher Heraclitus, he said:
What I understand is wonderful. Apparently, it is also beautiful that I could not understand.

Cloak for death

Socrates was sentenced to death on charges of disrespecting the gods. He had to drink a cup of poison. One of his friends visited the philosopher on the eve of his execution and offered him his luxurious cloak.
“Is my cloak fit only for life, but not for death?” Socrates objected.

Who cares

Xanthippus was allowed to see Socrates, who was sentenced to death, for the last meeting. She wailed:
- You're dying innocent!
Socrates replied:
“Would you like me to die guilty?”

What's better?

Speaking at the trial after he was sentenced to death, Socrates said:
- Well, I'm leaving to die. You will stay to live. And which of these is better, a person does not know.

(from the book by V. Butromeev "World History in Persons")

If the trouble you speak of can be avoided, then why are you complaining? And if it is inevitable, all the more so, what's the point in complaining?

God

The less a person needs, the closer he is to the Gods.

Hunger is the best seasoning for food.

Good

There is no beauty where there is no good and useful.

Friend

This is surprising: every person can easily say how many sheep he has, but not everyone can name how many friends he has - they are so worthless.

Friendship

Without friendship, no relationship between people has value.

A wish

The fulfillment of our strongest desires is often the source of our greatest sorrows.

Wife

A quarrelsome wife is to me what stubborn horses are to riders: just as they, having overcome the stubborn ones, easily cope with the rest, so I learn how to behave with other people on Xanthippe.

Marry no matter what. If you get a good wife - you will become an exception, if a bad one - a philosopher.

Life

Wasn't my whole life a preparation for defense?

So many things you can live without!

Health

Health is not everything, but everything without health is nothing.

Evil

An evil person harms others for no benefit to himself.

Knowledge

I know that I don't know anything, but others don't know that either.

There is much more risk in acquiring knowledge than in buying food.

I only know that I know nothing.

True

I, - said Agathon, - cannot argue with you, Socrates. Let it be your way.
- No, my dear Agathon, you are not able to argue with the truth, and arguing with Socrates is a simple matter.

Lie

Lying words are not only insidious in themselves, but also infect the soul with evil.

People

I eat to live and other people live to eat.

It is easier for people to keep hot coals on their tongues than a secret.

Youth

Young people should often look in the mirror: beautiful, so as not to shame their beauty, ugly, in order to brighten up the ugliness by education.

Wisdom

Human wisdom is worth little or nothing.

To be lower than oneself is ignorance, and to be higher than oneself is nothing but wisdom.

Courage

It is better to die courageously than to live in shame.

Pleasure

Just as one person enjoys caring for his land, another enjoys caring for his horse, so I enjoy every day getting better.

Nature

The sun has one drawback: it cannot see itself.

Justice

It is better to suffer injustice than to commit it ourselves.

Happiness

He who has an honest mind and a sharp mind is happy.

Creation

The creator in his works must express the state of the soul.

Philosophy

As long as I have breath and ability, I will not stop philosophizing.

Human

Eat best when you are not thinking about a snack, and drink best when you do not expect another drink: the less a person needs, the closer he is to the gods.

What man, being a slave to pleasures, does not pervert his body and soul.

Every person has a sun. Just let it shine.

on other topics

“I wish you all the best - I wish, O men of Athens, and love you, and I will obey God rather than you, and as long as I have breath and ability, I will not stop philosophizing, persuading and convincing any of you whom I only meet , saying the same thing that I usually say: O best of men, citizen of the city of Athens, the greatest of cities and most famous for wisdom and strength, are you not ashamed that you care about money so that you have as much of it as possible, about glory and honors, but about rationality, about truth and about your soul, so that it is as good as possible - do you not worry and do not think?

Contentment is our natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.

Do what you want, you will repent anyway.

Be content with the present, but strive for the best.

If a donkey kicked me, would I sue him?

There is only one good - knowledge and only one evil - ignorance. Wealth and nobility do not bring any dignity - on the contrary, they bring only evil.

Speak so that I can see you.

When the word does not hit, then the stick will not help.

Who wants to act, he is looking for opportunities, who does not want to - looking for reasons.

We must even accept the ridicule of comedians: if they are right, then this will correct us, if not, then this does not concern us.

Is my own cloak fit to live in, and not fit to die in?

Nothing beyond measure

It is surprising that the sculptors of stone statues are struggling to give the stone the likeness of a person, and do not think about not being like a stone themselves.

A good start is not a small thing, although it does start small.

What I understood is fine; which I probably didn’t understand either: only, really, for such a book you need to be a Delian diver.

You are dying innocently, his wife told him; he objected: - Would you like to deserve it?