2500 years ago, the wisest man of all time was born.
That man was none other than the great Greek philosopher Socrates.
What made Socrates so wise?
His willingness to question his own ignorance, his relentless self-examination, his integrity, and above all, the mastery of himself.
The guy left a lasting mark on philosophy that continues to shape the way many of us think and act.
Needless to say, he also had a way with words. You wouldn’t expect anything else from the wisest man of all now, would you?!
Let’s get into it…
1. “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
Knowing what you don’t know is more important than knowing what you do know.
Acknowledging what you don’t know is the dawning of wisdom, humility, and intelligence.
2. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
You have literally no idea who you’re talking to or what someone is going through.
That’s why every encounter deserves kindness, respect,and love.
3. “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.”
If you’re not happy now, what makes you think that having more will fix matters?
This one reminds me of something Naval Ravikant said: “If you can’t be happy with a coffee, you won’t be happy with a yacht”.
4. “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
More never ends. Ever.
Wanting more isn’t always a bad thing, though. It’s wanting more that gets us out of bed in the morning. More gives us a sense of purpose and drive.
However, bear in mind that true happiness comes from wanting less and savoring what you already have.
5. “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Without reflection, we will never grow.
If we don’t reflect, how do we expect to learn? How do we wish to know what went well and what went wrong? How do we know what problems we need to solve next time around?
6. “Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.”
The thought of death terrifies most people.
Yet, at the same time, death is very freeing and liberating. Remembering we are mortal encourages us to live life on our terms, doing what we want to do, with the people we want to do it with.
7. “If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”
Socrates had a notoriously tricky and bad-tempered wife, which explains why he says this!
I once read that, despite his wife being extremely difficult, Socrates used his challenging marriage as an exercise of wisdom. That doesn’t mean you need to do the same, though!
8. “It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”
You’re capable of much more than you think you are, both mentally and physically.
If you never test yourself, you’ll never discover how high your ceiling is. You’ll never see what you’re capable of.