“The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our separate ways, I to die, and you to live. Which of these two is better only God knows.”

“Now the hour to part has come. I go to die, you go to live. Which of us goes to the better lot is known to no one, except the god.”

“We cannot live better than in seeking to become better.”

“I desire only to know the truth, and to live as well as I can... And, to the utmost of my power, I exhort all other men to do the same... I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other earthly conflict.”

“The greatest way to live with honour in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”

“I did not care for the things that most people care about– making money, having a comfortable home, high military or civil rank, and all the other activities, political appointments, secret societies, party organizations, which go on in our city . . . I set myself to do you– each one of you, individually and in private– what I hold to be the greatest possible service. I tried to persuade each one of you to concern himself less with what he has than with what he is, so as to render himself as excellent and as rational as possible.”

“He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god.”