120 Philosophical Sayings To Ponder
Philosophical thinking and contemplation have been a guiding force for humanity for centuries. Pondering ideas, perspectives and life’s big questions has helped shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. This article aims to provide thought-provoking content for your mental exercise and growth.
In the following pages you will find 120 philosophical sayings and short quotes carefully selected from great thinkers across different eras. These thinkers span from ancient societies like Ancient Greece and India to more modern times. The sayings are grouped thematically to aid your contemplation. Sections include topics like human nature, knowledge and understanding, morality, ethics and more.
I encourage you to spend time with these brief yet profound quotes. Reflect on their meaning and how each may apply to your own life experiences and views. Discuss the ideas with friends and family as well. Philosophical pondering exercises our minds and often reveals new perspectives, so take your time with this collection. Deeper thinking is a journey, and these philosophical nuggets of wisdom can serve as guideposts along the way.
1. Deep Thoughts on Life and Death
“Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.” – Marcus Aurelius
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” – Norman Cousins
“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” – J.K. Rowling
“The brave man is not he who feels no fear, for that were a storybook man, but he who triumphs over fear.” – Nelson Mandela
“Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” – Dylan Thomas
“He who despairs over an event is a coward, but he who holds hope in the face of uncertainty displays courage.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“What happens when we die? My belief is that our energy lives on, so I don’t fear death.” – Chadwick Boseman
“Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up your present.” – Unknown
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” – Mother Teresa
“It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives.” – Samuel Johnson
“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little.” – Catherine Aird
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” – Mark Twain
“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” – Anthony Robbins
“Death ends a life, not a relationship.” – Mitch Albom
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” – Norman Cousins
“To fear death is to fear life.” – Bertrand Russell
“The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there’s no risk of accident for someone who’s dead.” – Epicurus
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” – Mark Twain
“Whatever you do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
2. Words of Wisdom from Thinkers of Old
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” – Plato
“Those who tell the stories rule society.” – Plato
“Necessity is the mother of invention.” – Greek Proverb
“Endeavor to live a life worthy of understanding.” – Socrates
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” – Plato
“Evil deeds will summon evil ghosts.” – Old Chinese Proverb
“Moderation in all things.” – Ovid
“Everything withers with time.” – Greek Proverb
“Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.” – Confucius
“Nothing prevents success as much as the fear of failure.” – Seneca
“Nature creates what wisdom perfects.” – Alfred Mercier
“Study the past if you would define the future.” – Confucius
“The perfect is the enemy of good.” – Voltaire
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – Albus Dumbledore
“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.” – Bruce Lee
“Most people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so.” – Bertrand Russell
“Wisdom outweighs any wealth.” – Sophocles
“Lack of trust destroys all relationships.” – Edgar Watson Howe
“Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” – Kahlil Gibran
“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience.” – Confucius
3. Contemplating Meaning with Short Maxims
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. – Thomas Paine
When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion. – Abraham Lincoln
The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates
Life is a journey, not a destination. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. – Erich Fromm
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are. – Anais Nin
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present. – Bill Keane
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. – Confucius
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. – Edgar Allan Poe
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. – Mahatma Gandhi
Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. – William Penn
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little extra. – Jimmy Johnson
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. – Buddha
Do one thing every day that scares you. – Eleanor Roosevelt
The purpose of life is a life of purpose. – Robert Byrne
One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. – Henry Miller
A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes. – Mahatma Gandhi
The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates
I cannot give you a formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody. – Herbert Bayard Swope
4. Pithy Insights on Human Nature and Society
“An unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
“Every one must row with the oars they have.” – English Proverb
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Love is everything it’s cracked up to be…It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for.” – Ernest Hemingway
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” – John Donne
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” – Alexander Hamilton
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Greek Proverb
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” – Chinese Proverb
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.” – Bertrand Russell
“Solitude is as needful to the imagination as society is wholesome for the character.” – James Russell Lowell
“Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.” – Rosa Luxemburg
“People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first.” – David H. Comins
“One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.” – Albert Schweitzer
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“That which does not kill me can only make me stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“Learn as though you would live forever, live as though you would die tomorrow.” -Mahatma Gandhi
20.”In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
5. Brief Reflections on Morality and Ethics
“Before you judge me, make sure you are perfect yourself.” – Anonymous
“Ethics are more important than success.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“With great power comes great responsibility.” – Voltaire
“The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” – Anonymous
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.” – Joseph Joubert
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not marble.” – Charles H. Spurgeon
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain
“Moral character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiencing the growl and teeth of opposition is fiber called out.” – Bruce Barton
“There is no excuse for evil, and no need for it.” – Elie Wiesel
“Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike.” – H. L. Mencken
“Rules for today: 1) Do not lose your head. 2) Do not lose your temper. 3) Do not lose your heart.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“There is no god higher than truth.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Jesus Christ
“Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before – it takes something from him.” – Louis L’Amour
“Moderation is anchor of steady virtue.” – Chinese proverb
6. Proverbs from Philosophers Through the Ages
‘Know thyself.’ – Socrates
‘Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.’ – Dr. Seuss
‘Beware the barrenness of a busy life.’ – Socrates
‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ – Socrates
‘Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.’ – Socrates
‘There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.’ – Socrates
‘The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.’ – Socrates
‘Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.’ – Socrates
‘The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.’ – Socrates
‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ – Plato (attributed to his teacher Socrates)
‘Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.’ – Confucius
‘By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.’ – Confucius
‘Study the past if you would define the future.’ – Confucius
‘Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.’ – Confucius
‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.’ – Confucius
‘It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.’ – Albus Dumbledore
‘Whatever you are, be a good one.’ – Abraham Lincoln
‘Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.’ – Mark Twain
‘The more that you read and observe…poetry, or birds singing, or satires, or people’s characters, the more things will become clear to you and you’ll understand more.’ – Aristotle
‘Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.’ – Plato
Conclusion
The collection of 120 philosophical sayings provides much food for thought. These quotes come from renowned thinkers and aim to inspire reflection on life’s deepest questions. Reflecting on ideas around ethics, wisdom, human nature and reality itself allows us to gain new perspectives and challenge our assumptions. Taking the time each day to ponder just one short saying would be a thoughtful exercise. As we digest each thought, we can improve our understanding of ourselves and others. I hope readers will take this opportunity to meditate on these powerful words and allow them to enrich their lives through greater insight and awareness.
