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[Plato, writing a speech of Socrates]
p.11 And so I go my way, obedient to the god, and make inquisition into
the wisdom of anyone, whether citizen or stranger, who appears to be wise; and if he is not wise, then in vindication of the
oracle I show him that he is not wise; and this occupation quite absorbs me, and I have no time to give either to any public
interest or to any concern of my own
p.11 there are plenty of persons... who think that they know something,
but really know little or nothing
p.76-77 Socrates... asked them what they thought of the argument, and whether
there was anything wanting? For, said he, much is still open to suspicion and attack, if anyone were disposed to sift the
matter thoroughly... if you are still doubtful about the argument do not hesitate to say exactly what you think, and let us
have anything better which you can suggest; and if I am likely to be of any use, allow me to help you. Simmias said: I must
confess, Socrates, that doubts did arise in our minds
[sayings of Epictetus]
p.132 The beginning of philosophy is to know the condition of one's own
mind.
p.140 When a youth was giving himself airs in the Theatre and saying, "I
am wise, for I have conversed with many wise men," Epictetus replied, "I too have conversed with many rich men, yet I
am not rich!"
p.143 If a man would pursue Philosophy, his first task is to throw away
conceit. For it is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he has a conceit that he already knows.
p.144 "The question at stake," said Epictetus, "is no common one; it is
this: - Are we in our senses, or are we not?"
p.153-154 If a man has frequent [interaction] with others, either in the
way of conversation, entertainment, or simple familiarity, he must either become like them, or change them to his own fashion.
A live coal placed next to a dead one will either kindle that or be quenched by it. Such being the risk, it is well to be
cautious in admitting intimacies of this sort, remembering that one cannot rub shoulders with a soot-stained man without sharing
the soot oneself.
[The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius]
p.218 Observe constantly that all things take place by change, and accustom
thyself to consider that the nature of the Universe loves nothing so much as to change the things which are and to make new
things like them. For everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be.
p.228 To seek what is impossible is madness
p.229 Often think of the rapidity with which things pass by and disappear,
both the things which are and the things which are produced. For substance is like a river in a continual flow, and the activities
of things are in constant change, and the causes work in infinite varieties; and there is hardly anything which stands still.
And consider this which is near to thee, this boundless abyss of the past and of the future in which all things disappear.
[Additional sayings of Epictetus]
If you wish to be a writer, write.
All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain.
Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather
than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.
No great thing is created suddenly.
Not every difficult and dangerous thing is suitable
for training, but only that which is conducive to success in achieving the object of our effort.
The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows
where he is going.
[Additional quotes from Socrates]
Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's
writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.
True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how
little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.
An honest man is always a child.
Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed
of - for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you
will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire
to appear.
Philosophy begins with wonder
Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth
To find yourself, think for yourself
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue
elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity.
Let him that would move the world first move himself.
[Additional quotes from Marcus Aurelius]
Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think
it impossible for anyone to accomplish.
Begin - to begin is half the work, let half still
remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything
we see is a perspective, not the truth.
Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to
see whether any shall note it... Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter, and think that even such a result
is no trifle.
How much time he saves who does not look to see what
his neighbor says or does or thinks.
Perhaps there are none more lazy, or more truly ignorant,
than your everlasting readers.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the
majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
The secret of all victory lies in the organization
of the non-obvious.
We are too much accustomed to attribute to a single
cause that which is the product of several, and the majority of our controversies come from that.
[Additional quotes from Plato]
A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.
Apply yourself both now and in the next life. Without effort, you cannot
be prosperous.
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of
conversation.
Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment.
The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future
in life.
[Other Ideas]
The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes
longer. ~Edward R. Murrow
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought. ~Henri Louis
Bergson
No matter where you go or what you do, you live your entire life within
the confines of your head. ~Terry Josephson
The observer, when he seems to himself to be observing a stone, is really,
if physics is to be believed, observing the effects of the stone upon himself. ~Bertrand Russell
The obstacle is the path. ~Zen Proverb
It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.
~James Thurber
It takes all the running you can do just to keep in the same place.
~Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, 1872
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
~Dr Seuss
If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will
content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. ~Francis Bacon
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything
else in the universe. ~John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.
~Matsuo Basho
In words are seen the state of mind and character and disposition of the speaker.
-Plutarch
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without
accepting it. -Aristotle
All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind. -Aristotle
In times of change the learners will inherit the earth, while the knowers
will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. -Eric Hoffer
The real Antichrist is he who turns the wine of an original idea into the
water of mediocrity. -Eric Hoffer
The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning;
it should produce not learned but learning people. The truly human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents,
and children are students together. -Eric Hoffer
The greatest weariness comes from work not done. -Eric Hoffer
It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativeness, and the
playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding of his capacities and talents. -Eric Hoffer
New opinions are always
suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. (An Essay concerning Human
Understanding) - John Locke
Curiosity in children Nature has provided to remove the ignorance they were born with
-John Locke
He who has not first laid his foundations may be able with great ability to lay them
afterwards, but they will be laid with trouble to the architect and danger to the building. -Niccolo Machiavelli
All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy
out of which victory is evolved. -Sun Tzu
An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring
future generations. -Charles Montesquieu
The key to wisdom is this - constant and frequent questioning... for by doubting we
are led to question and by questioning we arrive at the truth. -Peter Abelard, Philosopher, 1079 - 1142
Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond
doubt that they are right. -Laurens Van Der Post
We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it. Yet our opinions
have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away. -Chuang Tzu
One must take special precautions, for it is a dangerous and a contagious disease.
[The disease of writing] -Peter Abelard
Just once in a while let us exalt the importance of ideas and information.
-Edward R. Murrow
The theory that can absorb the greatest number of facts, and persist in doing
so, generation after generation, through all changes of opinion and detail, is the one that must rule all observation. -Adam
Smith
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else
can see. -Arthur Schopenhauer
Every person takes the limits of their own field of vision for the limits of the world. -Arthur Schopenhauer
Seek simplicity, and distrust it. -Alfred North Whitehead
I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games.
On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot... and I missed. I have failed over and over and over
again in my life. And that's precisely why I succeed. -Michael Jordan
The great principle of human satisfaction is engagement -William Paley
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
William James
Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed.
William
James
He that loves reading has everything within his reach
William Godwin
And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent
guaranteed! - Dr. Seuss
It is the tension between the scientist's laws and his own attempted breaches of them
that powers the engines of science and makes it forge ahead. W V O Quine
To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered.
Voltaire
Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.
Sophocles
If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable
Seneca
For a game it is too serious, for seriousness too much of a game.
Moses Mendelsson
[JLJ perhaps he was speaking of chess]
You have to allow a certain amount of time in which you are doing nothing in order
to have things occur to you, to let your mind think.
Mortimer Adler
Not to engage in the pursuit of ideas is to live like ants instead of like men.
Mortimer
Adler
The telephone book is full of facts, but it doesn't contain a single idea.
Mortimer
Adler
Power is not an institution, and not a structure; neither is it a certain strength we are endowed with; it is the name
that one attributes to a complex strategical situation in a particular society.
Michel Foucault
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