Socrates Quotes - 30 quotes

Socrates (c. 470 – 399 BC) is hailed as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He is renowned for his contributions to epistemology, ethics, and for his method of questioning, now known as the Socratic method. He was born around 470 BCE in Athens, Greece. Socrates did not write any philosophical texts himself. Instead, our knowledge of his life and teachings comes from the accounts of his students, primarily Plato and Xenophon. He spent much of his life engaging in public debates and discussions, challenging the conventional wisdom of his time and encouraging critical thinking. Despite his significant influence, Socrates was a controversial figure in Athens. In 399 BCE, he was tried and sentenced to death on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth. He accepted his fate with composure, famously declaring that "the unexamined life is not worth living". Socrates legacy endures through the works of his students and the philosophical traditions that followed, making him a central figure in the history of Western thought.