Wisdom Quotes

"Ambition without virtue is a river that drowns the ambitious."

"The cost of maintaining order is less than the cost of restoring it after chaos."

"The wise man legislates for the future, not for the present."

"A society that neglects its old men is a society that despises its future."

"The wise legislator knows that time is his greatest ally and his greatest enemy."

"To legislate is to predict, and to predict is to risk being wrong."

"Wisdom is the knowledge of what not to do as much as what to do."

"A man's true wealth is measured by what he can afford to let pass by."

"The tongue is a weapon more dangerous than any blade."

"The fool spends his youth and laments in old age."

"The mark of a wise counselor is knowing when to speak and when to refrain."

"Humility is the hallmark of true wisdom and strength."

"In every crisis lies the seed of opportunity for the wise."

"A single moment of clarity is worth a lifetime of confusion."

"To question authority is not treason; to question truth is."

"A man's true measure is not found in the honors he accumulates, but in the honors he refuses."

"When every citizen has a voice, no single voice can dominate for long."

"To truly reform a state, you must reform how people think of themselves and their neighbors."

"The rotation of offices prevents any person from becoming indispensable to the state."

"An ostracized citizen who has genuinely learned may return wiser than before."

"I believed that talent and wisdom were distributed broadly, not concentrated in bloodlines."

"Tradition binds men to the past; law binds men to justice."

"Divide power as you would divide land—equally, so that none can claim dominion over all."

"The ostracism vote was imperfect, yet it was less perfect than any rule by a single man."

"Those who understand that they might be judged by lot are more likely to judge others fairly."

"The poor man given a voice will speak differently than when voiceless; listen to what he says."

"The ostracism vote teaches us that even democracy must have safeguards against the people's passion."

"The institution outlasts the innovator; therefore, build institutions, not monuments."

"The test of a reform is not whether it is perfect, but whether it is less unjust than what came before."

"Persuasion is a far more powerful weapon than force."