"God takes away the minds of poets, and uses them as his ministers, as he also uses diviners and holy prophets, in order that we who hear them may know them to be speaking not of themselves who utter these priceless words in a state of unconsciousness, but that God himself is the speaker, and that through them he is conversing with us."

"Man's greatest privilege is the discussion of virtue."

"I examined the poets, and I look on them as people whose talent overawes both themselves and others, people who present themselves as wise men and are taken as such, when they are nothing of the sort. From poets, I moved to artists. No one was more ignorant about the arts than I; no one was more convinced that artists possessed really beautiful secrets. However, I noticed that their condition was no better than that of the poets and that both of them have the same misconceptions. Because the most skillful among them excel in their specialty, they look upon themselves as the wisest of men. In my eyes, this presumption completely tarnished their knowledge. As a result, putting myself in the place of the oracle and asking myself what I would prefer to be — what I was or what they were, to know what they have learned or to know that I know nothing — I replied to myself and to the god: I wish to remain who I am."

"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true."

"In all of us, even in good men, there is a lawless wild-beast nature, which peers out in sleep."

"From the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate."

"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true."

"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true."

"In all of us, even in good men, there is a lawless wild-beast nature, which peers out in sleep."

"The highest realms of thought are impossible to reach without first attaining an understanding of compassion."

"Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued."

"He is rich who is content with the least; for contentment is the wealth of nature."

"As to marriage or celibacy, let a man take which course he will, he will be sure to repent."

"By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher ... and that is a good thing for any man."

"Such as thy words are such will thine affections be esteemed and such as thine affections will be thy deeds and such as thy deeds will be thy life ..."

"All I know is that I know nothing."

"Understanding a question is half an answer."

"All I know is that I know nothing."

"How can you wonder your travels do you no good, when you carry yourself around with you?"

"Nobody is qualified to become a statesman who is entirely ignorant of the problem of wheat."