The Wisdom of Ancient Philosophers: From Socrates to Confucius
This is a list of ancient philosophers in chronological order. It starts with Socrates and Confucius, then goes to Apollonius of Tyana, and ends with Aristotle. This list is followed by some quotes from these philosophers' works.
"What you have just said makes no sense." - Socrates
"The task of philosophy is to teach man how to live." - Confucius
"For the sage does not hold that which can be given but that which can be shown."- Apollonius of Tyana
"The world exists for the sake of knowledge. - Aristotle
"Who learns most, is the wisest." - Socrates
"Of all things, wisdom is the most powerful."- Apollonius of Tyana
"A philosopher's words are a kind of medicine, and therefore ought to be received with respect and not lightly dismissed." - Confucius
"To discover the limits of the possible is to find one's self on the threshold of the impossible." - Aristotle
"For where there are men there must be human life. Where there is human life, there must be political authority. And where political authority exists, it must have laws. And where there are laws, there must be courts to determine their validity. And where there are courts, there must be causes brought before them. And where causes are brought before the courts, there must be lawyers to present the cases and argue for their rights. Where all these are present, society has come into existence." - Baron de Montesquieu
"The true end and aim of human action is knowledge: therefore we see that it is by knowledge and none other that man attains his greatest power in this world." - Baron de Montesquieu
"The source and end of truth is reason: therefore art belongs to the wise man and not to the ignorant. And a man is said to be civilised so far as he is in possession of the virtues of social life." - Baron de Montesquieu
"We must acquaint ourselves with the causes of things if we are to recognise how each of them can be applied to achieve a desired effect." - Baron de Montesquieu
"Friendship is nothing but a partnership in pleasure and a partnership in desire for good fortune." - Socrates
"The sage does not accumulate for himself. He delights in water, but water will not quench his fire; he loves quiet, but quiet will not settle his heart; he takes no action that might discompose the harmony between heaven and earth. He steps aside from this and that, in such a way that he does not disturb the orderliness of Heaven. He does not wish to be taken by surprise. He has no ambition and therefore he incurs no envy; he has nothing to covet and therefore is free from desire; he has no lusts, therefore there is nothing which could touch him. If his nature is tempered and his heart regulated, how can it be otherwise with the body?" - Lao Tzu
"The first condition for virtuous action is that it correspond to reason." - Baron de Montesquieu
"The Sages are like a bellows: they do not fill themselves with wind but direct it into their own breasts. A wise man will restrain his anger, but a fool will be impelled by it. A wise man will pay attention to what he is doing, but a fool will do things in an erratic manner." - Baron de Montesquieu
"The good life is the life spent in pursuit of knowledge and the exercise of virtue." - Baron de Montesquieu
"The world is like a musical instrument, played upon by God. It responds to the touch of his hand, and vibrates harmoniously according to his intention. Everything from the formation of the world until its final destruction is a harmony created by God; and so every step, however small, taken by man upon the earth is in perfect accord with his great design. The effort of man to attain goodness on earth is part of that great harmony." - Lao Tzu
"No one can ever achieve more than he has the power to perform." - Baron de Montesquieu
"The progression from virtue to virtue, and from one employment to another, depends on the nature of man himself. The tendency which draws him forward in the pursuit of truth is implanted in his nature." - Baron de Montesquieu
"The supreme attainment is found in perfection and tranquility. No man will ever be one in whom this perfection and tranquility are fully realised." - Baron de Montesquieu
Common Sense is the source of all knowledge
"Opinion is the child of reason, not of authority." - Baron de Montesquieu
"It must be clearly understood that nothing can come from nothing." - Baron de Montesquieu
The truth is simple, but people refuse to see it! - Confucius
"In order to become a good gentleman one must have good manners, a good character and correct principles." - Confucius
"The greatest happiness is to know how little we know. - Confucius
"The wisdom of my ancestors and the learning of my teachers were given to me by Heaven, and I thank God for it." - Confucius
"To know others is to know yourself." - Confucius
"By their deeds we know men." - Confucius
"It is not enough to have a fine character. You must also have a reputation for having one. For if you are not known as being someone who does good deeds your good deeds will be thought bad by others." - Liu An
"...Do not love yourself so much that you do not love anybody else." - Confucius
If you exceed your abilities, do be content with them. - Confucius
"When you see a worthy person, think of equaling him. When you see an unworthy person, reflect on yourself." - Confucius
"The noble man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort." - Confucius
"I have not seen a person who loved virtue as much as he loved sex." - Confucius
"When you blame others before they have acted wrongfully, it is called prejudice; when you must blame another after he has done wrong, this is called discernment." - Lao Tzu
The wise are strong; and those who have strength are mighty; and those who are mighty in deed are the king.
Conclusion:
My dear friend, it is very important that you realise that your own growth comes from your own actions. It is not something that others can do for you. You need to realise that the power of your intent and the power of thought are great. And if you do not try to use this power then it will never be used. So, use it! If you have problems with people or things around you, solve them by using the law of cause and effect. Understand if they acted wrongly and if they did, then accept this as a consequence towards them and yourself. Realise also that these effects around you will disappear when you see this fact clearly in yourself.