Wisdom Quotes

The best minds across centuries have wrestled with what it means to be wise. These quotes capture their hard-won insights.

64329 quotes

P
"Only reason can grasp true reality."
Parmenides
P
"Wisdom lies in understanding what truly is."
Parmenides
P
"The wise see through illusions of change."
Parmenides
P
"Follow reason, not opinion."
Parmenides
P
"Question what you believe to be true."
Parmenides
P
"Logic reveals the structure of reality."
Parmenides
P
"Reason is our only guide to reality."
Parmenides
P
"Understanding requires abandoning common assumptions."
Parmenides
P
"Seek not what seems, but what truly is."
Parmenides
P
"Common sense leads us astray from truth."
Parmenides
S
"The mind of God is the wisest counsel, more reliable than any mortal's scheme"
Sophocles
S
"Look and you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected"
Sophocles
S
"Moderation, the golden mean, is the path to excellence"
Sophocles
S
"True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us"
Sophocles
S
"Fortune touches all, yet wisdom favors those who seek it"
Sophocles
S
"Beauty fades, but wisdom endures through the ages"
Sophocles
S
"Humility is the strength to see oneself clearly without fear"
Sophocles
S
"A man who knows the value of silence will rarely regret what he does not say"
Sophocles
E
"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish."
Euripides
E
"The hard sayings of the wise are the easiest things to understand when applied."
Euripides
E
"Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people."
Euripides
E
"Those who wish to appear wise among fools are themselves fools."
Euripides
E
"The heart knows truths the mind cannot grasp."
Euripides
E
"A good question is worth more than a hasty answer."
Euripides
E
"The goal of life is not to accumulate possessions, but to cultivate wisdom and understanding."
Empedocles
E
"Blood is the seat of thought; the heart thinks more truly than the brain."
Empedocles
A
"I would rather be a nobody in truth than somebody in delusion."
Aristophanes
A
"What is the use of a lengthy argument when a single word might do the job?"
Aristophanes
A
"The best is the enemy of the good, and we are often slaves to perfection."
Aristophanes
A
"No man can be happy who does not first know himself."
Aristophanes