A system of morality that is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception that has nothing sound in it and nothing true.
SocratesRead
Beauty comes first. Victory is secondary. What matters is joy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of finding joy in life over seeking victory or success.
Socrates highlights the idea that the essence of life is not defined by achievements or victories but by the joy and beauty we experience. He suggests that prioritizing beauty and joy leads to a more fulfilling existence, while victory, though rewarding, is transient and secondary to the deeper satisfaction derived from appreciating life's beauty.
Themes
BeautyJoyVictoryPhilosophyLife
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speech emphasizing the importance of joy in achieving true happiness.
More from Socrates
All quotes βThe poets are only the interpreters of the gods.
SocratesRead
I am wiser than this man, for neither of us appears to know anything great and good; but he fancies he knows something, although he knows nothing; whereas I, as I do not know anything, so I do not fancy I do. In this trifling particular, then, I appear to be wiser than he, because I do not fancy I know what I do not know.
SocratesRead
The unexamined life is not worth living.
SocratesRead
When I was young, I believed that life might unfold in an orderly way, according to my hopes and expectations. But now I understand that the Way winds like a river, always changing, ever onward.. My journeys revealed that the Way itself creates the warrior; that every path leads to peace, every choice to wisdom. And that life has always been, and will always be, arising in Mystery.
SocratesRead
Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued." "It is not living that matters, but living rightly. The unexamined life is not worth living.
SocratesRead
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The wise stand out because they see themselves as part of the Whole. They shine because they don't want to impress. They achieve great things because they don't look for recognition. Their wisdom is contained in what they are, not their opinions. They refuse to argue, so no-one argues with them.
LaoziRead