Greek civilization has left an indelible mark on the world, with its philosophies, art, and wisdom shaping centuries of thought and culture. Among its treasures are countless Greek quotes and proverbs that offer insights into life, love, wisdom, and more.
Whether from iconic philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato or lesser-known sages, these meaningful sayings have transcended time, resonating with people globally.
Dive into this rich heritage and discover some of the most ancient Greek quotes and proverbs that continue to inspire and guide individuals today.
Perfect for those looking to gain perspective, find inspiration, or simply enrich their knowledge, this collection is a testament to the timeless wisdom of ancient Greece.
Top 10 Greek Proverbs
- “Win by persuasion, not by force.” — Greek Proverb
Greek proverbs - “Too many opinions sink the boat.” — Greek Proverb
Greek proverb - “Wine and children speak the truth.” — Greek Proverb
- “One swallow does not make a summer.” — Greek Proverb
proverbs Greek - “The tongue has no bones, but bones it crashes.” — Greek Proverb
Greek sayings - “Unripe grape gets sweet as honey, at a slow pace.” — Greek Proverb
- “All receive advice. Only the wise profit from it.” — Greek Proverb
quotes from Greek - “It is difficult to argue with the belly, as it has no ears.” — Greek Proverb
- “It’s sweet to view the sea when standing on the shore.” — Greek Proverb
- “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” — Greek Proverb
Ancient Greek Philosopher Quotes
Here are some of the most notable Greek Stoic philosopher’s words, thoughts, and teachings that are timeless and full of wisdom.
- “Well begun is half done.” — Aristotle
- “Wit is educated insolence.” — Aristotle
- “Life is short, the art long.” — Hippocrates
- “Nature does nothing uselessly.” — Aristotle
- “Only the dead have seen the end of the war.” — Plato
- “Wait for the wisest of all counselors, time.” — Pericles
- “Of all possessions, a friend is the most precious.” — Herodotus
- “The art of living well and the art of dying well are one.” — Epicurus
- “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” — Aristotle
- “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” — Hippocrates
- “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” — Epictetus
- “One thing I know, that I know nothing. This is the source of my wisdom.” — Socrates
- “Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.” — Antisthenes
- “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” — Plato
- “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” — Plato
- “You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.” — Aristotle
- “It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.” — Hippocrates
Quotes From Greek Philosophers
- “Wisdom outweighs any wealth.” — Sophocles
Greek philosophers quotes - “At a touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.” — Plato
Greek philosophers quotes love - “There is nothing permanent except change.” — Heraclitus
Greek quotes images - “The worst of all deceptions is self-deception.” — Plato
famous Greek quotes - “You cannot step into the same river twice.” — Heraclitus
ancient Greek quotes - “In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.” — Aristotle
- “I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.” — Xenocrates
Greek quotes about life - “Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head.” — Euripides
- “Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.” — Euripides
Greek quotes - “The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.” — Epicurus
Quotes From Greek Philosophers - “Death is not the worst evil, but rather when we wish to die and cannot.” ― Sophocles
best Greek quotes
Ancient Greek Philosophy
- “No man is free who cannot command himself.” ― Pythagoras
- “Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.” — Aristotle
- “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” — Archimedes
- “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” — Plato
- “It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we men live in a city without walls.” — Epicurus
- “Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it.” — Thales
Quotes In Greek Mythology
- “Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope.” — Aristotle
- “When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.” — Plato
- “The very spring and root of honesty and virtue lie in good education.” — Plutarch
- “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.” — Socrates
- “Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is just opinion.” — Democritus
- “Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered.” — Aristotle
- “Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.” — Socrates
- “No man ever wetted clay and then left it, as if there would be bricks by chance and fortune.” — Plutarch
- “The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances.” — Aristotle
- “Medicine to produce health must examine disease; and music, to create harmony must investigate discord.” —Plutarch
Greek Quotes
- “It is hard to contend against one’s heart’s desire; for whatever it wishes to have it buys at the cost of soul.” —Heraclitus
- “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” — Alexander The Great
- “All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.” — Aristotle
- “He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden.” — Plato
- “Of all creatures that can feel and think, we women are the worst treated things alive.” — Euripides
- “There are two things a person should never be angry at; what they can help, and what they cannot.” — Plato
- “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” — Plato
- “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” — Pericles
- “The ancient Oracle said that I was the wisest of all the Greeks. It is because I alone, of all the Greeks, know that I know nothing.” — Socrates
- “Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.” — Aristotle
Deep Greek Sayings
- “The excess of a virtue is a vice.” — Greek Proverb
- “You can’t hide behind your finger..” — Greek Proverb
- “A drop of wisdom is better than a sea of gold.” — Greek Proverb
- “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” — Plutarch
- “I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.” — Diogenes
- “You can tell who the good seamen are during a storm.” — Greek Proverb
- “The sins we often regret are the sins we never commit.” — Greek Proverb
- “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” — Aristotle
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle
- “It is not what they profess but what they practice that makes them good.” — Greek Proverb
Which of the above quotes inspired you the most? Let us know in the comments section below. Feel free to share these stoic quotes with friends and family to motivate them on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and more.
