Quotes to inspire and reflect

Because people want more and more possessions, they start wanting more money, and thus honor money more and excellence less. Accordingly, the wealthy become more honored, and the people of excellence less honored. With the majority now money-loving businessmen instead of lovers of victory and honor, the admirable rich men will be put into office, and the poor will be dishonored.

But of the heaven which is above the heavens, what earthly poet ever did or ever will sing worthily?

Beauty is the splendor of truth.

Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity I mean the true simplicity of a rightly and nobly ordered mind and character, not that other simplicity which is only a euphemism for folly.

Beauty is certainly a soft, smooth, slippery thing, and therefore of a nature which easily slips in and permeates our souls.

He whom love touches not walks in darkness

Love is a good poet and accomplished in all the fine arts; for no one can give to another that which he has not himself, or teach that of which he has no knowledge. Who will deny that the creation of the animals is his doing? Are they not all the works of his wisdom, born and begotten of him? And as to the artists, do we not know that he only of them whom love inspires has the light of fame?

At the touch of love, Everyone becomes a poet.

Assuredly he will love that most whose interests he regards as identical with his own, and in whose prosperity or adversity he believes his own fortunes to be involved.

Atheism is a disease of the soul before it becomes an error of understanding.

As there are misanthropists, or haters of men, there are also misologists, or haters of ideas, and both spring from the same cause, which is ignorance of the world.

As wolves love lambs so lovers love their loves.

As it is, the lover of inquiry must follow his beloved wherever it may lead him.

Appearance tyrannizes over truth.

Wonder is the only beginning of philosophy

Artist or sage or ruler errs at the time when he is what his name implies.

Arithmetic is a kind of knowledge in which the best natures should be trained, and which must not be given up.

As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser.

Any peace is better than any war

Are you not ashamed that you give your attention to acquiring as much money as possible, and similarly with reputation and honor, and give no attention or thought to truth and understanding and the perfection of your soul?

An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.

Any city however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich. These are at war with one another.

All who do evil and dishonorable things do them against their will.

An accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men

All learning is in the learner, not the teacher.

All knowledge, when separated from justice and virtue, is seen to be cunning and not wisdom.

All learning has an emotional base.

All is flux, nothing stays still.

All I really know is the extent of my own ignorance

All enquiry and all learning is but recollection.

Age isn't easy for a good man if he's poor, nor will a bad man ever be cheerful with himself even if he's rich.

Above all things truth beareth away the victory.

A measure of such things which in any degree falls short of the whole truth is not fair measure; for nothing imperfect is the measure of anything, although persons are too apt to be contented and think that they need search no further.

A sensible man will remember that the eyes may be confused in two ways - by a change from light to darkness or from darkness to light; and he will recognize that the same thing happens to the soul.

A principle which has any soundness should stand firm not only just now, but always.

A person's desires force him to something to reason and he berates himself and gets indignant with the part that forces him, and his spirit allies with reason as though reason and desire were at civil war.

A man ought not to return evil for evil, as many think, since at no time ought we to do an injury to our neighbor.

A life without investigation is not worth living.

A library of wisdom, is more precious than all wealth, and all things that are desirable cannot be compared to it. Whoever therefore claims to be zealous of truth, of happiness, of wisdom or knowledge, must become a lover of books.

A freeman ought not to be a slave in the acquisition of knowledge of any kind. Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.

A city whose future rulers are the least eager to rule will necessarily be the best governed and freest from strife, and the one with opposite rulers the worst.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.

The arc of a moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

Revolution is not the uprising against pre-existing order, but the setting-up of a new order contradictory to the traditional one.

One ought not to be obstinate, except when one ought to be; but when one ought to be, then one ought to be unshakable.

There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the blackness of corroding despair.

I consider that in no government power can be abused long. Mankind will not bear it. If a sovereign oppresses his people to a great degree, they will rise and cut off his head. There is a remedy in human nature against tyranny, that will keep us safe under every form of government.

You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.