An important thing we can learn from Socrates is that we cannot teach people anything; we can only make them think. We can only draw out of them the wisdom which is latent within them. By doing so, we help open their eyes, making them realize that they were born with infinite possibilities…

Here are some of the life changing lessons from some of the best quotes of Socrates.

1) Nothing changes until we do.

“Let him that would move the world first move himself.”

“Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore, avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity.”

2) Engage in improving yourself by other ’s writings.

“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.”

“The easiest and noblest way is not to be crushing others, but to be improving yourselves.”

3) Being busy is not enough. It’s what are you busy with that counts.

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”

4) Everything in life changes, nothing ever stays the same.

“If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.”

5) You should eat to live; not live to eat.

“Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.”

 6) Those who realize that they have enough, are truly rich.

“He is richest who is content with the least, for contentment is the wealth of nature.”

“Contentment is natural wealth; luxury is artificial poverty.”

7) Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

“The really important thing is not to live, but to live well. And to live well means, along with more enjoyable things in life, to live according to your principles.” 

8) Don’t rush into friendships.

“Be slow to fall into friendship, but when you are in, continue firm and constant.”

9) Be impeccable with your word.

“False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.” 

10) Never return evil for evil. You will hurt yourself in the process.

“One who is injured ought not to return the injury, for on no account can it be right to do an injustice; and it is not right to return an injury, or to do evil to any man, however much we have suffered from him.”

11) Don’t let other people do your thinking for you.

“To find yourself, think for yourself.”

12) Never stop wondering.

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”

13) True wisdom is in knowing we know nothing.

“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing and that is that I know nothing.” 

“To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.”

“I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.”

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”  

“If you want to be a good saddler, saddle the worst horse; for if you can tame one, you can tame all.”