6th century BC
Anaximenes
Knowledge increases ignorance.
Life must be measured as if you have both a lot and a little left to live.
I carry everything I have with me.
Learn to be a good leader in your own home.
Do not preempt thought with your tongue.
Do not encroach on what is beyond your strength.
Xenophanes
A person who wants to find a sage must be wise himself.
Don't chase happiness: it is always within you.
Life is like games: some come to compete, others to trade, and the happiest come to watch.
Do great things without promising great things.
Of two people of equal strength, the one who is right is stronger.
The beginning is half of everything.
Try to be wise first, and learn when you have free time.
Only one deity can possess comprehensive wisdom, and man can only strive for it.
A statue is painted by his appearance, but a man by his deeds.
Joke, like salt, should be consumed in moderation.
Do not reason with children, with women and with the people.
True words are not graceful, graceful words are not true.
Look at the matter as difficult, and in the end it will not be difficult.
By striving for little, you gain; by striving for much, you fall into error.
The best ruler is the one about whom the people know only that he exists. Somewhat worse are those rulers whom the people love and exalt. Even worse are those rulers whom the people fear, and worst of all are those rulers whom the people despise.
Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know.
Everything for everything, always.
For never in this world does hatred cease with hatred, but with the absence of hatred it ceases.
The jug fills from falling drops. A stupid person is filled with evil, even accumulating it little by little.
Canal builders release water, archers subjugate an arrow, carpenters subjugate wood, wise men humble themselves.
Confucius
Learning without reflection is useless, but reflection without learning is also dangerous.
It is enough that the words express the meaning.
Don't do to someone what you don't want to do to yourself.
Be hard on yourself and gentle on others. This way you will protect yourself from human hostility.
He who repeats the old and learns the new can be a leader.
A person has three paths to reason: the path of reflection is the most noble; the path of imitation is the easiest; path personal experience- this is the hardest.
Visiting and listening to evil people is already the beginning of an evil deed.
The word by which you can live your whole life is indulgence.
Paying good for evil is absurd. How then to pay for good?
The madman complains that people don't know him; the sage complains that he does not know people.
I bequeath: do not be zealous in anything.
Choose the middle in everything
You will see the same success as working hard.
It is difficult for a reasonable person to have a long conversation with fools.
But to remain silent all the time is beyond human strength.
There is no one in the world without sin and without reproach.
No, you are strong not to speak, but you are powerless to remain silent.
Heraclitus
You cannot step into the same river twice.
Everything flows, everything changes.
Let us not guess at random about the greatest!
When all people's wishes come true, it is no better for them.
Much knowledge does not teach intelligence.
People's opinions are child's play.
If happiness consisted only in bodily pleasures, we would call the oxen happy if they found peas to eat.
Insolence must be extinguished more quickly than a fire.
Nothing comes from nothing.
There is no emptiness at all. For emptiness is nothing. So, that which is nothing cannot exist.
Anaxagoras
In itself, each thing is both great and small.
Audio: The most famous aphorisms of great people (collection: part No. 19)
Do you want to be admired in the company or considered a very smart person? Then remember these sayings of ancient philosophers, shine with quotes from Aristotle, Aesop or Lao Tzu and you will be the center of attention!
Quoting the sages will not only allow you to become the life of the party. You will also be able to demonstrate your erudition to others, since in addition to statements you will find here information about interesting facts about ancient philosophers, a short biography.
Due to the fact that philosophers over the centuries have become experts in many general, global things, their experience helps people avoid mistakes and change their worldview. Therefore, the sayings of the sages presented here who lived from the 12th to the 1st centuries BC will be useful for many other reasons.
At any age of a person, thinkers bring something into his life, proving that philosophy is hidden in each of us. Discover this space with the help of the statements of ancient famous philosophers about various aspects of life and comprehend the wisdom of existence!
Just relax and have fun. After all, we have collected for you the most interesting and instructive Sayings of ancient philosophers.
from XII before VII BC* God finds the culprit.
* There is time for everything: your time for conversation, your time for peace.
from VIII before VII centuries BC* A fool is one who does not know that a little is more than a lot.
* It’s not good to change friends every now and then.
VII century BC* Do not approve of recklessness, love prudence.
* Take with conviction, not force.
Periander of Corinth* Be ready to die for the fatherland.
* Be moderate in happiness, reasonable in misfortune.
Solon of Athens* In great things, you can’t please everyone.
* Laws are like cobwebs: they entangle the weak, but the strong tear them down.
Thales of Miletus* What is the easiest way to endure adversity? - If you see your enemies in an even worse situation.
*Who is happy? - He who is healthy in body is gifted with peace of mind and develops his talents.
Chilo the Spartan* He who is strong, be kind, so that you are respected and not feared.
* Better a loss than a bad profit: from one grief for once, from another - forever.
Aesop* Gratitude is a sign of the nobility of the soul.
* In the hardships of life, you need to be patient and have a softening habit.
All quotes: 7th century BC >> VI century BC* Vine brings three grapes: a bunch of pleasure, a bunch of intoxication and a bunch of disgust.
* An angry person is like coal: if it doesn’t burn, it blackens you.
Heraclitus of Ephesus* War is the father of all things, the father of everything.
* Eyes are more accurate witnesses than ears.
Cleobulus of Lindus* Be able to endure the vicissitudes of fate with nobility.
* Do not caress or quarrel with your wife in front of strangers: the first is a sign of stupidity, the second is rage.
Confucius* Be strict with yourself and gentle with others. This way you will protect yourself from human hostility.
* In ancient times, people studied in order to improve themselves. Nowadays they study in order to surprise others.
Lao Tzu* Even the best weapon does not bode well.
Pythagoras* Take care of the tears of your children so that they can shed them at your grave.
* The conversation should be conducted in such a way that the interlocutors turn from enemies to friends, and not from friends to enemies.
Theognis of Megara* Even Leo doesn’t always have to treat himself to meat. No matter how strong he is, need can befall him.
* I hate a restless wife and an insatiable husband.
Epimenides* If someone is lying and he himself claims to be lying, is he lying in this case or is he telling the truth?
* Soothsayers only know what has happened.
Aeschylus* They whip the idle talker with a double whip.
* If strength unites with justice, then what could be stronger than this union?
All quotes: 6th century BC >> V century BC* Justice is the unchanging and constant will to give everyone his right.
* Freedom is the natural ability of everyone to do what he pleases, unless prohibited by force or law.
Visakhadatta* Betrayal now promises many benefits; devotion has become a feat for a person.
* Unbecoming honor is worse than insult.
All quotes: 5th century BC >> IV century BC* Education is the best supply for old age.
* All sciences are more necessary than philosophy, but there is none better than it.
Bion Borysphenit* Great misfortune is the inability to endure misfortunes.
* An envious person is sad either because he himself has suffered misfortune, or because someone else has been lucky.
Menander* God does everything while remaining silent.
* The gods' favorites die young.
Xunzi* When asked an indecent question, you should not answer it.
* Those who do not devote themselves entirely to the task will not have brilliant success.
Chuang Tzu* Truth exists only insofar as lies exist.
* Do not act in the service of glory, do not become a treasury of plans, do not give power to affairs over yourself, do not submit to knowledge.
Epicurus* People need even the worst laws, because without them, people would devour each other.
* Only a sage is able to correctly judge poetry and music, although he himself will not write poetry.
All quotes: IV century BC >> III century BC* When speaking to a wise person, use few words.
* Time exhausts the power of all tyranny.
Caecilius Statius* If you trust someone, trust them in everything.
* Live as best you can, since you can’t live as you want.
All quotes: III century BC >> II century BC* If a person had enough to satisfy, he would be quite well off.
* If it is work, then work is such that there is benefit and honor.
Terence Publius* A prudent person should try everything before resorting to weapons.
* To be wise means to see not only what is under your feet, but also to foresee the future.
Cicero Marcus Tullius* Paper will endure anything.
* Insult contains some kind of sting, which prudent and good people endure with the greatest difficulty.
Plautus Titus Maccius* The more important you consider it, the more likely you will accomplish a task.
* Peace of mind- the best relief in trouble.
All quotes: 6th century BC >> I century BC* Endure and stay strong for future times.
* May an avenger rise from our bones someday!
Horace Flaccus Quintus* Money either dominates its owner or serves him.
* Dare to be wise!
Titus Livy* In difficult circumstances, when there is almost nothing to hope for, the most desperate decisions are the most correct.
* Wars are for the young.
In life, situations often arise when a person does not know what to do correctly, then he begins to seek advice. Friends and relatives are vying with each other to suggest a solution, but their experience, unfortunately, is not always enough to truly give good advice. Another thing is Chinese wisdom, proven over centuries. Chinese philosophical teachings spread and gained recognition throughout the world. We invite you to get acquainted with quotes and aphorisms of Chinese sages who teach how to live a decent life.
One of the most famous Chinese philosophers is Confucius, the founder of Confucianism. No less popular are Chinese thinkers such as Lao Tzu, Zhuang Tzu, Mo Tzu, Han Fei and others. They all thought about the meaning of life, called on people to be kinder, taught them to act and not wait for the right moment, because time does not stand still.
No one returns from travel the same as he was before.
Travel changes inner world person.
You can only pour from a jug into a bowl what was in it.
Do not demand fruit where you did not sow it.
There are many roads that lead to the top. But the landscape remains unchanged.
The goal is one, but there are different ways to achieve it.
Don't speak unless it changes the silence for the better.
It is better to remain silent than to speak without meaning.
Anyone who drinks water must remember those who dug the well.
You should always honor those to whom you owe your life and blessings.
When away from home, behave as if you are receiving honored guests. When using the services of people, behave as if you were performing a solemn ceremony. Don't do to others what you wouldn't want for yourself. Then there will be no discontent either in the state or in the family.
If everyone does this, then the world will change for the better.
A person does what he loves well.
When doing something you don't like, don't expect a good result.
A horse is recognized by riding, a person by communication.
By appearance You can’t judge a person, but as soon as you start talking to him, everything about him immediately becomes clear.
Buy cheap - lose money.
You have to pay for quality.
Newborns cry the same everywhere. When they grow up, they have different habits. This is the result of upbringing.
What kind of person your child will grow up to be depends only on you.
Trouble comes when people, in their laziness, forget to take care of themselves.
Trouble happens so that people can spend time with each other.
For those who are not sailing anywhere, there is no tailwind!
Luck accompanies those who strive for something.
Don't be afraid that you don't know - be afraid that you don't learn.
Ignorance is not a problem if you have the desire to learn.
When people do not pay attention to the criticism and praise of the people and calmly put up with the loss of their sympathy, this is an unworthy way to govern the country.
A good ruler is one who listens to his people.
Instead of exalting the sky and reflecting on it, isn’t it better to ourselves, by multiplying things, to subjugate the sky? Instead of serving the sky and praising it, isn’t it better, overcoming the heavenly fate, to use the sky to our advantage?
Man already uses almost everything to his advantage.
Even if a person by nature has excellent qualities and wisdom, he must still receive a wise teacher and follow him, he must choose his friends good people and be friends with them.
With wise teachers and good friends you will become even wiser.
Better to see once than hear a hundred times.
Visualization gives a better idea of the situation.
By reflecting on the past, you learn about the future.
What could not be done in the past can be done in the future.
Only a beautiful bird is put in a cage.
Man is accustomed to subjugating beauty to himself, without thinking that he is dooming it to bondage.
He who speaks ill of others is not good himself.
No one has the right to judge a person.
Money makes people strangers.
If you want to lose a friend, lend him money; if you want to distance yourself from your loved one, tell him that he needs to earn more.
In friendship, too, know the boundaries.
Friendship is good when it is in moderation.
The greatest treasure in the world is children.
A child is the meaning of life for his parents.
It's better to be an enemy good man than a bad friend.
WITH bad people better to be friends.
Vouch for money, never for a person.
Sometimes it’s difficult even to be responsible for yourself, let alone for others.
Speak good words- does not mean being kind.
You can say whatever you want, but saying what you feel is rare. 
Until you fall for the bait, you will not become an expert.
Let one go through mistakes and failures to knowledge and wisdom.
But nevertheless, we need to live not for yesterday and not for tomorrow, but for today.
If there is a desire in the heart, then you can drill through the stone.
If you have the will, you can find the way.
Quotes and aphorisms of Chinese sages are a storehouse of life wisdom. They teach you to live here and now, and not put off life for tomorrow. Share them with your friends, perhaps they will become useful advice for someone.
Artist Thomas Cole
This collection of wise quotes, aphorisms and sayings is a continuation of the previously published post:.
Judging by the number of views, site visitors liked the wisdom of the ancients, and I decided to continue publishing. Maybe we'll get a whole collection of wisdom, quotes and aphorisms from time to time Ancient Egypt to this day.
In the meantime, a selection of quotes from the sages of Ancient Greece.
Out of love for children, some people should not have them.
The wise men speak, but matters are decided by the ignorant people from the People's Assembly.
Ancient Greece. Anacharsis =
The Athenian reproached him, Anacharsis, for being a Scythian. Anarchsis replied: “If I am a disgrace, my homeland is a disgrace, and you are a disgrace to your homeland.”
Ancient Greece. Anacharsis =
Safe ships are beached ships.
Ancient Greece. Anacharsis =
The market is a place deliberately designated to deceive and rob each other.
Ancient Greece. Anacharsis =
An angry person is like coal: if it doesn’t burn, it blackens you.
Ancient Greece. Anacharsis =
It is also likely that a lot of incredible things are happening.
Ancient Greece. Agathon =
Everyone who is touched by Eros becomes a poet.
Ancient Greece. Agathon =
Even the gods cannot change the past.
Ancient Greece. Agathon =
In the end, having abandoned everything, he [Anaxagoras] took up the speculation of nature, without worrying about any state affairs.
They asked him: “And you don’t care about your fatherland?”
He replied: “Not at all, I really care about the fatherland!” - and pointed to the sky.
Anaxagoras, after the death of his beloved son, did not fall into madness, as those around him expected. When asked the reason, he replied: "I always knew that I gave birth to a mortal."
Ancient Greece. Anaxagoras Klazomensky =
Someone lamented that he was dying in a foreign land; Anaxagoras told him: “The descent into Hades is the same from everywhere.”
Ancient Greece. Anaxagoras Klazomensky =
Nothing can be known, nothing can be learned, nothing can be ascertained: feelings are limited, the mind is weak, life is short.
Ancient Greece. Anaxagoras Klazomensky =
Characteristic of wisdom is the ability to find for everyone its own kind of wisdom, and ignorance is characteristic of different people use monotonous speech.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Artist Albert Joseph Moore
Lovers often deceive and promise the impossible.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
The beginning of education is the study of words.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Do not neglect your enemies: they are the first to notice your mistakes.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Educated and smart person it is difficult to endure, since unreason is an easy and unburdensome thing, but reason is adamant, unshakable, its weight is insurmountable.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Virtue is the same for both men and women.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Pleasure is good, but [only] when it does not cause remorse.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
The lions took the floor when, having gathered for a council, the hares demanded equality for everyone.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
A holiday is an occasion for gluttony.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
One should strive for pleasures that come after work, and not before work.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Politics should be treated like fire: do not come too close so as not to get burned, and do not move too far away so as not to freeze.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Don’t notice the old man’s mistake: it is useless to replant an old tree.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Ignorant people are like those who are awake and in a dream state.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
When asked which woman is better to take as a wife, he [Antisthenes] replied: “The beautiful one will be a common property, the ugly one will be your punishment.”
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
When asked what is most blissful for a person, he [Antisthenes] said: “To die happy.”
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
When asked what philosophy gave him, he [Antisthenes] replied: “The ability to talk with oneself.”
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Artist Hans Zatzka
Someone said that war destroys the poor; Antisthenes remarked: “On the contrary, she gives birth to them in abundance.”
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Once, when Antisthenes exclaimed: “Oh, who will save me from suffering!”, Diogenes showed him a dagger and said: “That’s who” - “I said: from suffering, not from life!” - Antisthenes objected.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
States perish when they cease to distinguish the bad from the good.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
It is better to fight among a few good people against many bad ones, than among many bad people against a few good ones.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
Restraint the more necessary who hears bad things about himself, rather than those at whom they throw stones.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
It is better to fall to vultures than to fall to flatterers. Those devour the dead, and these devour the living.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
You need to meet those women who themselves will be grateful for it.
Ancient Greece. Antisthenes =
He, Apelles (painter and court artist of Alexander the Great), exhibited his completed works in open gazebo and he himself, hiding behind the picture, listened to the comments of those passing by, since he considered the people a more attentive judge than himself. Once, they say, a spectator-shoemaker noted that the boot depicted with inside one loop less than it should be. The next day, proud that the omission he had pointed out had been corrected, the shoemaker began to elaborate on the image of the foot. Then the angry artist came out of hiding and exclaimed: “Shoemaker, judge no higher than the boot.”
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
I am a stranger everywhere.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
In no case do I put myself among those who want to rule. It’s a difficult task to get what you need for yourself; but only a complete madman can, not being content with this, impose on himself a new burden - to deliver to all citizens what they need.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
Someone brought his son to study with him, Aristippus asked for five hundred drachmas. The father said: “For this money I can buy a slave!”
“Buy,” said Aristippus, “and you will have two whole slaves.”
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
Artist John William Godward
He [Aristippus] asked the man who decried the luxury of his table: “Would you refuse to buy all this for three obols?” “Of course not,” he replied. “So, it’s just that money is more valuable to you than pleasure to me.”
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
Indeed, generosity will never ruin Dionysius [the ruler of Syracuse]: to us, who ask a lot, he gives little, but to Plato, who takes nothing, he gives a lot.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
When teaching brought him [Aristippus] a lot of money, Socrates asked him: “Why do you need so much?” And he replied: “For the same thing for which you have so little.”
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
Just as those who eat a lot are not healthier than those who eat the bare necessities, so true scholars are not those who read a lot, but those who read useful things.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
If luxury were bad, it would not be at the feasts of the gods.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
It is better to be a beggar than an ignoramus: if the first is deprived of money, then the second is deprived of human image.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
Your right is to swear, my right is not to listen.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
Does it really matter whether you occupy a house in which many have lived or one in which no one has lived? And does it really matter whether you sail on a ship where thousands of people have already sailed, or where no one has sailed yet? It’s just the same whether you live with a woman whom many have already known, or with one whom no one has touched.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
The best lot is not to abstain from pleasures, but to rule over them without submitting to them.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
Children should be taught what will be useful to them when they grow up.
Ancient Greece. Apelles =
6th century BC
Knowledge increases ignorance.
Life must be measured as if you have both a lot and a little left to live.
I carry everything I have with me.
Learn to be a good leader in your own home.
Do not preempt thought with your tongue.
Do not encroach on what is beyond your strength.
A person who wants to find a sage must be wise himself.
Don't chase happiness: it is always within you.
Life is like games: some come to compete, others to trade, and the happiest come to watch.
Do great things without promising great things.
Of two people of equal strength, the one who is right is stronger.
The beginning is half of everything.
Do not reason with children, with women and with the people.
Try to be wise first, and learn when you have free time.
Only one deity can possess comprehensive wisdom, and man can only strive for it.
A statue is painted by his appearance, but a man by his deeds.
Joke, like salt, should be consumed in moderation.
True words are not graceful, graceful words are not true.
He who is dead but not forgotten is immortal.
Look at the matter as difficult, and in the end it will not be difficult.
By striving for little you gain, by striving for much you fall into error.
Everything for everything, always.
For never in this world does hatred cease with hatred, but with the absence of hatred it ceases.
The jug fills from falling drops. A stupid person is filled with evil, even accumulating it little by little.
Learning without reflection is useless, but reflection without learning is also dangerous.
It is enough that the words express the meaning.
Don't do to someone what you don't want to do to yourself.
Be hard on yourself and gentle on others. This way you will protect yourself from human hostility.
He who repeats the old and learns the new can be a leader.
A person has three paths to reason: the path of reflection is the most noble; the path of imitation is the easiest; the path of personal experience is the most difficult.
Visiting and listening to evil people is already the beginning of an evil deed.
The word by which you can live your whole life is indulgence.
Paying good for evil is absurd. How then to pay for good?
The madman complains that people don't know him; the sage complains that he does not know people.
I bequeath: do not be zealous in anything.
Choose the middle in everything
You will see the same success as working hard.
It is difficult for a reasonable person to have a long conversation with fools.
But to remain silent all the time is beyond human strength.
There is no one in the world without sin and without reproach.
No, you are strong not to speak, but you are powerless to remain silent.
You cannot step into the same river twice.
Everything flows, everything changes.
Let us not guess at random about the greatest!
When all people's wishes come true, it is no better for them.
Much knowledge does not teach intelligence.
People's opinions are child's play.
If happiness consisted only in bodily pleasures, we would call the oxen happy if they found peas to eat.
Nothing comes from nothing.
There is no emptiness at all. For emptiness is nothing. So, that which is nothing cannot exist.
