Quotes About Philosophy

Knowledge is true opinion.

There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.

The good is the beautiful.

The absolute natures or kinds are known severally by the absolute idea of knowledge.

To be curious about that which is not one's concern while still in ignorance of oneself is absurd.

And this which you deem of no moment is the very highest of all: that is whether you have a right idea of the gods, whereby you may live your life well or ill.

A man ought not to return evil for evil, as many think, since at no time ought we to do an injury to our neighbour.*

Death is not the worst than can happen to men.

Philosophy is an elegant thing, if anyone modestly meddles with it; but if they are conversant with it more than is becoming, it corrupts them.

Poetry comes nearer to vital truth than history.

Remember how in that communion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may.N.B. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. See also Napoleon Bonaparte.

So as this only point among the rest remaineth sure and certain, namely, that nothing is certain.

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.

Love is a serious mental disease.

There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain.

Why do we believe that in all matters the odd numbers are more powerful?

Why is it that we entertain the belief that for every purpose odd numbers are the most effectual?

No mortal man, moreover is wise at all moments.

This only is certain, that there is nothing certain; and nothing more miserable and yet more arrogant than man.

It is best not to be born or to die as soon as possible.

Não ignoro que muitos outros não olham estas espécies de desgraças senão como uma simples perda de um bem, e que assim pensando eles se julgam grandes homens e homens sábios. De minha parte, não sei se são tão grandes e tão sábios como o imaginam, mas sei bem que não são homens.

Life is the flight of the alone to the alone.

The world is knowable, harmonious, and good.

Self-knowledge reveals to the soul that its natural motion is not, if uninterrupted, in a straight line, but circular, as around some inner object, about a center, the point to which it owes its origin.