20 Philosopher Quotes that Will Make You Think Deeply
I was reading a book recently on ancient philosophers and saw a good quote that made me really think in a different way. If you are a frequent reader you will know that I have a great affinity for good quotes as I have written several blog posts on different types of quotes. Today, we will examine a multitude of philosopher quotes on happiness, success, learning and other aspects of life. Hopefully, you can take some time to consider each of them as I did and try to figure out what each philosopher had in mind when he said them. As always, these are merely my humble interpretations of them and how I believe they can be made actionable in our lives. Should you have a different interpretation of these philosopher quotes and how they can be made actionable, I would be grateful if you shared your thoughts in the comments below.
The first of the 20 philosopher quotes, to me, is what this entire blog post is all about. Taking thoughts from some of the greatest minds in history, and then pondering and reflecting on them.
(1) “The unexamined life is not worth living” – Socrates
In this quote, I believe Socrates meant that the most important pursuit in life was to probe, question, argue and think. And to die without doing those things meant life was a life not worth living.
Make it actionable: Pursue wisdom in life by questioning, arguing and thinking about things in your life.
(2) “He who thinks great thoughts, often makes great errors” – Martin Heidegger
My interpretation of this quote has to do with being overconfident. You may think something is a great thought, act on it and it turns out to be not such a great thought.
Make it actionable: I think there are a couple ways to make this one actionable. Be wary of overconfidence, get as many facts before acting. But on the other hand, realize we all make mistakes, that is how we learn. And sometimes you need to take risks in life to succeed.
(3) “Even while they teach, men learn” – Seneca the Younger
Teaching to learn is the best way to learn as you really need to know the material inside and out and anticipate other’s questions.
Make it actionable: When you really want to learn something, try teaching it to someone else!
(4) “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” – Aristotle
One of my favorite quotes of all time! You don’t just work out one day and get in shape. You don’t just read one book and all of a sudden acquire a ton of knowledge. And you don’t eat healthy for one day and have tons of energy and feel good. Being excellent in any area of life takes consistent action – day after day, week after week, year after year.
Make it actionable: Take consistent action towards your goals and dreams every single day!
(5) “Life must be understood backward. But it must be lived forward ” – Søren Kierkegaard
This is similar to the advice Steve Jobs gave when he talked about not being able to connect the dots going forward when he was in college, but things were more clear looking back 10 years later.
Make it actionable: Live in the present moment. Don’t dwell on the past, just use it to learn from and ‘connect the dots’.
(6) “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” – Plato
Meaning that a lot of times people’s true colors come out when playing. Depending on the type of play and whether it is competitive or non-competitive you may learn things about them such as their interests, intelligence, strategic thinking, teamwork, leadership, empathy, trust, attitude, how they handle stress…just to name a few.
Make it actionable: To really learn about someone, engage in some type of play with them.
(7) “It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of truth” – John Locke
Showing someone why they have made a mistake and helping them improve is much more valuable than just telling them they are wrong.
Make it actionable: If you are going to give someone constructive criticism, offer a suggestion on how they can improve as well. As Dr. Deming used to say: “By what method?”
(8) “The only thing I know is that I know nothing” – Socrates
As much as any of us knows or think we know, in the grand scheme of things we truly know nothing!
Make it actionable: Never. Stop. Learning.
(9) “The secret of happiness, you see is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”-Socrates
This is all about being happy with what you have. Because in theory there is an infinite number of things we could all seek.
Make it actionable: Instead of seeking more, be happy and grateful for what you already have.
(10) “When it is obvious that goals can’t be reached, don’t adjust the goals, but adjust the action steps.”-Confucius
Your goal itself is not the reason that you have not attained it. The steps or effort you are taking to achieve it are the reason.
Make it actionable: Never spin your wheels when trying to attain a goal. If what you are doing is not working, it may be time to reevaluate the things you are doing to achieve that goal and modify them. Or sometimes, modify the goal.
(11) “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” ― Oscar Wilde
Similar to the quote “it’s what you do when nobody’s watching”. Doing the things you don’t have to do is what will separate you from the pack.
Make it actionable: Do things that you don’t have to do that you know will make you better in the long run.
(12) “No amount of anxiety makes any difference to anything that is going to happen.”-Alan Watts
Getting worked up, stressed out and worrying will not affect whether or not something happens or not.
Make it actionable: Limit the amount that you worry and get worked up about things you cannot control. Take a deep breath and relax for a moment! It won’t affect the outcome and it will just affect your health. If something happens, then deal with it.
(13) “Prejudices are what fools use for reason.”-Francois Voltaire
Being prejudiced is the lazy, easy, and ignorant way to evaluate or come to a conclusion about someone else.
Make it actionable: Don’t judge people on how they look or what others say about them. Instead, judge them on your experiences with them.
(14) “Happiness depends upon ourselves.”-Aristotle
The only person truly responsible for our happiness is oneself.
Make it actionable: Do not rely on anyone or anything to give you happiness. Happiness comes from within and from your thoughts. You cannot think happy thoughts and feel sad at the same time.
(15) “We do not describe the world we see. We see the world we can describe.”-Rene Descartes
This quote is all about perception and our choosing to see what we want to see.
Make it actionable: It is up to you how you perceive the world. If you want to see the good in things it is all on you to do it.
(16) “What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes? Herein lies the key to your earthly pursuits.” – Carl Jung
When we are kids time flies because we are doing things that bring us joy. Many of us lose that child-like enthusiasm as we grow older.
Make it actionable: Do things that make time fly and you will be doing something that you truly love.
(17) “What labels me, negates me.” ― Søren Kierkegaard
When you label yourself or others you are putting an upper limit on what you or they are truly capable of.
Make it actionable: Be wary of putting labels on yourself or others.
(18) “It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”― Gabriel García Márquez
Age is only a number and you only get old once you stop chasing your dreams.
Make it actionable: Never stop dreaming and never stop pursuing your dreams – no matter your age! Your dreams may be different than when you were younger but they will give you a reason to get up in the morning.
(19) “The menu is not the meal.”― Alan W. Watts
Just because something is on the menu doesn’t mean you have to eat it!
Make it actionable: Life gives us choices and it is up to us to make the right ones for us.
We will end with the following quote:
(20) “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”― Kahlil Gibran
Some of those who have suffered have also gained a great gift on the other side in the form of incredible mental toughness and strength of character.
Make it actionable: Look back on some of the times of your life where you want through pain and suffering as a blessing. I say ‘some’ because obviously not all suffering can create mental toughness, but there are many times when it does.
On that note, I always start and end my day with a little pain to keep building mental toughness. Earlier today, I started my day as I always do with an ice-cold shower. Now, that seeing as how the day is almost over, it is time for me to go end my day by inflicting a little pain on myself at the gym.
Until next time, keep philosophizing, and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick
When to Use These Philosopher Quotes
Use these philosopher quotes whenever they apply to your life.
What Do You Think?
What do you think of these philosopher quotes? Did you interpret any of these philosopher quotes differently than I did? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Quite interesting and thought provoking. I’ll drop some comments on a few.
(5) Kierkegaard to me is the best of the ‘modern’ philosophers, followed by John Dewey.
(7) Don’t just tell someone “that is total bullshit”. Instead say “that is total bullshit because…….”
(8) “I know nothing, nothing” – frequent quote by Sergeant Hans Shultz on Hogan’s Heroes.
((11) Wilde has always been confusing to me, like he’s a magazine writer being paid by the number of words written.
(12) Another way of saying “Don’t sweat the small stuff. 90% of everything is small stuff.”
(16) Jung had some fairly weird ideas, but this quote surely describes many a person’s mundane work experience in a job they have no interest in.
(18) My version – “Age is a state of mind, not a number on a calendar”. By the way, my mind tells me I am 35.
OK, enough for today. Or as Jean Shepherd used to say; “Excelsior, you fathead.”
Hi Dave, Thanks for the insightful comments! Hogan’s Heroes, wow, that sure brings back memories watching it w/ my Grandpa back in the day! I like the way you think re: your mind telling you that you are 35, love it! Be good! Rick