"I desire only to know the truth and to live as well as I can... And, to the utmost of my power, I exhort all other men to do the same... I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other earthly conflict."

"I did not care for the things that most people care about– making money, having a comfortable home, high military or civil rank, and all the other activities, political appointments, secret societies, party organizations, which go on in our city . . . I set myself to do you– each one of you, individually and in private– what I hold to be the greatest possible service. I tried to persuade each one of you to concern himself less with what he has than with what he is, so as to render himself as excellent and as rational as possible."

"Are you not ashamed of caring so much for the making of money and for fame and prestige, when you neither think nor care about wisdom and truth and the improvement of your soul?"

"Is there not one true coin for which all things ought to exchange?- and that is wisdom; and only in exchange for this, and in company with this, is anything truly bought or sold, whether courage, temperance or justice. And is not all true virtue the companion of wisdom, no matter what fears or pleasures or other similar goods or evils may or may not attend her? But the virtue which is made up of these goods, when they are severed from wisdom and exchanged with one another, is a shadow of virtue only, nor is there any freedom or health or truth in her; but in the true exchange there is a purging away of all these things, and temperance, and justice, and courage, and wisdom herself, are a purgation of them."

"One should never do wrong in return, nor mistreat any man, no matter how one has been mistreated by him."

"The highest realms of thought are impossible to reach without first attaining an understanding of compassion."

"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true."

"Life contains but two tragedies. One is not to get your heart's desire; the other is to get it."

"Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty."

"Every action has its pleasures and its price."

"Every action has its pleasures and its price."

"Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people."

"The really important thing is not to live, but to live well. And to live well meant, along with more enjoyable things in life, to live according to your principles."

"He is not only idle who does nothing, but he is idle who might be better employed."

"My friend...care for your psyche...know thyself, for once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves"

"All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine."

"The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less."

"Is it true; is it kind, or is it necessary?"

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."

"To find yourself, think for yourself."