Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
Socrates (c. 470–399 BC) was an Athenian philosopher who left no writing; we know him through Plato, Xenophon and Aristophanes. He philosophised by talking in the street, questioning people until their assumptions came apart. He was sentenced to death on charges of corrupting the young and impiety.
About this theme: Life
Life is the broadest theme in any collection of quotations and therefore the most uneven. The same heading holds Seneca's letter on the shortness of time and a sentence from a greetings card. The difference usually comes down to whether a line asks something of the reader or flatters them.
More by Socrates
More on Life
- It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.— Ralph Waldo Emerson
- True life is lived when tiny changes occur.— Leo Tolstoy
- Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.— Marcus Aurelius
- To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.— Oscar Wilde
- Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.— Albert Einstein