If you’re in search of powerful and thought-provoking wisdom, relying on the great Greek philosophers of ancient times will serve you well.

We’ve rounded up an epic collection of Greek philosopher quotes to inspire you to think deeper and find your Greek god within.

Greek philosophers contributed hugely to our understanding of the world. Using their intelligence and reasoning skills, they attempted to make sense out of the world and brought along revolutionary philosophical contributions to politics, science and ethics.

As they say, true wisdom is eternal. The great Greek philosophers might have lived in much different times, but we can still apply their ancient wisdom to our modern lives.

Their wise words have the power to change the way you think and approach life.

So, to enlarge your thought, below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and mind-blowing Greek philosopher quotes and sayings, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Greek Philosopher Quotes On Ancient Knowledge To Motivate You

1. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

2. “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” – Socrates (see more quotes by Socrates)

3. “The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.” – Diogenes

4. “For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.” – Plato

5. “Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.” – Socrates

6. “You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.” – Aristotle

7. “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” – Heraclitus

8. “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” – Churchill

9. “Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.” –  Aristotle

10. “If I had followed the multitude, I should not have studied philosophy.” – Chrysippus

Greek philosopher quotes that will inspire you to find your Greek god within

11. “Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul.” – Democritus

12. “Difficulties are things that show a person what they are.” – Epictetus (see more Epictetus quotes)

13. “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” – Socrates

14. “No human being will ever know the Truth, for even if they happen to say it by chance, they would not even know they had done so.” —Xenophanes

15. “There is nothing permanent except change.” – Heraclitus

16. “When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.” – Epictetus

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to check out our collection of Friedrich Nietzsche quotes on life and love.

17. “He has the most who is most content with the least.” – Diogenes

18. “Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.” – Heraclitus

19. “Throw moderation to the winds, and the greatest pleasures bring the greatest pains.” –  Democritus

20. “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” – Plato

Greek philosopher quotes to expand your understanding

21. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus

22. “I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.” – Plutarch

23. “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”– Plato

24. “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” – Plutarch

25. “The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.” – Thales

26. “Good means not merely not to do wrong, but rather not to desire to do wrong.” – Democritus

27. “There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot.” – Plato

28. “Much learning does not teach understanding.” – Heraclitus

29. “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” – Epictetus

30. “We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.” – Aristotle Onassis

Also, check out these Medusa quotes about the unique guardian from Greek mythology.

Greek philosopher quotes that will inspire you to think deeper

31. “It is a true man’s part not to err, but it is also noble of a man to perceive his error.” –  Apollonius of Tyana

32. “Knowledge without justice ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom.” – Plato
If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of knowledge quotes for those who love learning.

33. “Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.” – Antisthenes

34. “Man is the measure of all things.” —Protagoras

35. “The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits.” —Plutarch

36. “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.” – Aristotle

37. “Everything existing in the universe is the fruit of chance and necessity.” – Democritus

38. “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” – Pericles

39. “Wait for the wisest of all counselors to judge you . . . time.” —Pericles

40. “The worst of all deceptions is self-deception” – Plato

Greek philosopher quotes to expand your mind

41. “Character is destiny.” – Heraclitus

42. “No one that encounters prosperity does not also encounter danger.” – Heraclitus

43. “To find yourself, think for yourself.” – Socrates

44. “Life is short, the art long.” – Hippocrates

45. “Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempest.” – Epicurus

46. “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” —Demosthenes

47. “Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence.” – Democritus

48. “Men who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details.” – Heraclitus

49. “The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” – Aristotle

50. “The art of living well and the art of dying well are one.” – Epicurus

You might also like these philosophical Epicurus quotes for a happy life.

More Greek philosopher quotes

51. “World is decay, life is perception.” — Democritus

52. “This world, which is the same for all, has not been made by any god or man, but it always has been, is, and will be an ever-living fire.”— Heraclitus

53. “The happy man is the one who has a healthy body, a wealthy soul and a well-educated nature.” – Thales

54. “But what difference does it make who spoke the words? They were uttered for the world.” – Seneca
If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of Seneca quotes that will help you in all facets of your life.

55. “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” – Plato

56. “Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” – Aristotle

57. “When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.” – Herophilus

58. “The proper bulk is better than the big bulk.” – Democritus

Short Greek philosopher quotes from Plotinus and Pythagoras

59. “Withdraw into yourself and look.” ― Plotinus

60. “Time is the soul of this world.” — Pythagoras

61. “Life is the flight of the alone to the alone.” ― Plotinus

62. “Silence is better than unmeaning words.” — Pythagoras

63. “It is in virtue of unity that beings are beings.” ― Plotinus

64. “The world is knowable, harmonious, and good.” ― Plotinus

65. “Thy foolish passions: learn thou to subdue them.” — Pythagoras

66. “Wisdom thoroughly learned will never be forgotten.” — Pythagoras

67. A fool is known by his speech; and a wise man by silence.” — Pythagoras

68. “Concern should drive us into action and not into depression.” — Pythagoras

Greek philosopher quotes that will make you wise

69. “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” – Epictetus

70. “When you want wisdom and insight as badly as you want to breathe, it is then you shall have it.” — Socrates

71. “The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant.” — Plato

72. “Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech.” — Plutarch

73. “It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly. And it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a pleasant life.” — Epicurus

74. “The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.” — Epictetus

75. “All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.” — Aristotle

76. “The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.” — Aristotle

77. “We became men once and one cannot become twice.” — Epicurus

78. “Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.” — Socrates

Greek philosopher quotes from Thales

79. “Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it.”― Thales

80. “Hope is the only good that is common to all men; those who have nothing else possess hope still.” ― Thales

81. “Time is the wisest of all things that are; for it brings everything to light.”― Thales

82. “The past is certain, the future obscure.” ― Thales

83. “If there is a change, there must be something that changes, yet does not change.”― Thales

84. “Intellect is the swiftest of things, for it runs through everything.”― Thales

85. “The way of living virtuously is by never doing ourselves what we blame in others.”― Thales

86. “All things are from water and all things are resolved into water.”― Thales

87. “What man is happy? He who has a healthy body, a resourceful mind, and a docile nature.”― Thales

88. “A multitude of words is no proof of a prudent mind.”― Thales

What did you learn from these Greek Philosopher quotes?

Ancient Greek philosophy is still important today? Even when passed down for thousands of years, wisdom speaks to human nature.

We can learn many life lessons from the work and lives of the great Greek philosophers. Hopefully, these quotes from the ancients have inspired you to live wisely and compassionately.

Which of these Greek philosopher quotes and sayings resonated with you best? Do you have any other favorite quotes to add? Feel free to share with us in the comment section below.