50 great philosophical phrases to ponder

There are philosophical phrases in all areas of knowledge. Historians, philosophers, politicians or writers, among other representatives of academic disciplines and of thought, have summarized their reflections in one sentence. In short, we can discover profound truths about various aspects of life.

The magic of these philosophical phrases is in inviting us to delve into very diverse topics. About ourselves, about life and death, social and world problems, practically in any field in which the human being develops.

• Related article: "75 feminist phrases to inspire you"

Meet 50 of the most transcendent philosophical phrases in history

The important characters in history have left a philosophical phrase as part of their legacy. In this compilation, 50 of the most impressive phrases have been gathered to reflect on with his philosophy.

The great thinkers of history have left, in a few words, phrases that invite self-knowledge, observation and further investigation. Hence the importance of continuing to spread the great ideas that have been inherited from us.

Next we are going to know fifty of these famous philosophical phrases, and a brief comment or reflection on each one.

• It may interest you: "The 70 best wise phrases in history"

1. Happiness is not doing what you want but wanting what you do. (Jean Paul Sartre)

We should not wait to be doing what we want, to feel happy, on the contrary, the search should be to be happy with what we do.

2. Happiness is not an ideal of reason, but of the imagination. (Immanuel Kant)

The feeling of happiness has to do with our wishes and illusions, more than with reason.

3. There is no man so cowardly whom love does not make brave and transform into a hero. (Plato)

Love must be the transforming factor of men, otherwise it does not make sense.

4. Everything that is done for love is done beyond good and evil. (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche)

This universal sentiment is, perhaps, the one most studied by the great philosophers.

5. There is someone so smart that he learns from the experience of others. (Voltaire)

The biggest challenge we face is not to repeat the bad experiences of others, all because we do not know how to learn until it is experienced in our own flesh.

6. I can't teach anyone anything. I can only make you think. (Socrates)

The teacher's job is not only to teach or transmit knowledge, but to help people develop their critical sense.

7. Immature love says: "I love you because I need you." The mature man says: "I need you because I love you." (Erich Fromm)

Love should not be a feeling of codependency.

8. Don't hurt others with what causes yourself pain. (Buddha)

If we are aware of what hurts us, we should not think about doing it to others.

9. The heart has reasons that reason ignores (Blaise Pascal)

The deepest feelings and emotions, sometimes it is difficult to explain and understand them from reason.

10. Desire is the true essence of man. (Spinoza)

What drives us to be and exist are our desires.

11. Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts. (Soren Kierkegaard)

What we think turns our environment and our reality. For this reason, we must take care of what we think.

12. The measure of love is to love without measure. (San Agustin)

True love should not be repressed or limited.

13. Living without philosophizing is, properly, having your eyes closed, without ever trying to open them. (Rene Descartes)

The philosophy and the exercise of reflection is vital to understand the world and understand ourselves.

14. In general, nine-tenths of our happiness is based on health. (Arthur Schopenhauer)

Physical and emotional health is one of the most important aspects to feel happy and live with greater peace of mind.

15. The man who moves mountains begins by pushing aside small stones. (Confucius)

To do great things, you have to start small.

16. The least common in this world is living. Most people exist, that's all. (Oscar Wilde)

Many people only live and travel this world without a deep motive. Living is not just existing without purpose.

17. True love wants the good of the loved one. (Umberto Eco)

When we truly love someone, we think of their well-being and happiness as a priority, even before our own.

18. Knowledge is power. (Francis Bacon)

Having information and knowledge is one of the most important and powerful tools that human beings can have.

19. If knowledge can create problems, it is not with ignorance that we can solve it. (Isaac Asimov)

Sometimes knowledge brings discord, although one should not fall into the lack of arguments to combat this.

20. You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

The dynamics that take place in any game, allow many of the human emotions to be experienced, such as frustration, euphoria, anger. People's reactions can reveal more of their personality.

21. Beauty does not come from a beautiful body, but from beautiful actions. (Thales of Miletus)

The concept of beauty is not limited to the physical. Those actions that people have, manages to emanate from them a light that also means beauty.

22. Educate the boys and it will not be necessary to punish the men. (Pythagoras of Samos)

The result of a good education is the mental balance and good behavior of men.

23. The ability to present an idea is as important as the idea itself. (Aristotle)

Having the best ideas is not enough if they cannot be conveyed.

24. We have two ears and a mouth, precisely to hear more and speak less. (Zenon de Citio)

One of the keys to healthy coexistence is having the ability to really listen to the other, and at the same time limit what comes out of our mouth.

25. Don't live in the past, don't imagine the future, focus your mind on the present moment. (Buddha)

The human being has a great tendency to live thinking outside of his time. In this sentence we are reminded of the importance of living today.

26. Pick a job you love, and you won't have to work a day in your life. (Confucius)

When we think of work as a sacrifice, we stop enjoying what we do. On the other hand, if we love what we do, the effort becomes much lighter.

27. If you give fish to a hungry man, you feed him for a day. If you teach him to fish, you will nurture his whole life. (Lao Tse)

To help someone you do not need to resolve the situation. It can help more, giving the tools to face it in the future.

28. Great men start great works, hardworking men finish them. (Leonardo da Vinci)

Although ideas are essential to carry out great works and great changes, effort and work are essential to materialize those ideas.

29. True freedom consists in absolute self-control. (Galileo Galilei)

Freedom is not about doing what we want without limitations. With this philosophical phrase, Galileo Galilei makes us reflect on the importance of self-control.

30. We have learned to fly like birds, to swim like fish; but we have not learned the simple art of living as brothers. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Although the human being has been able to perform great feats, he has not managed to understand and apply something fundamental that is coexistence in harmony.

31. The greatest gift you can give to others is the example of your own life. (Bertolt Brecht)

If we want to inherit something to our people, it is our own example and our exemplary life, which we could best give them.

32. All movement, whatever its cause, is creative. (Edgar Allan Poe)

Action always generates changes, for this reason you never have to stop moving.

33. Only through education can man become man. Man is nothing more than what education makes of him. (Immanuel Kant)

Education is a fundamental part in the behavior and future of man. It is in the source of knowledge that we know ourselves and our environment.

34. Those who believe that money does everything end up doing everything for money. (Voltaire)

Exalting money as the only goal of life, makes people slaves of money itself.

35. Those that drive and drag the world are not machines, but ideas. (Victor Hugo)

The ideas of great men have written history and documented evolution.

36. The roots of education are bitter, but its fruits are sweet. (Aristotle)

Creating the foundations of a man or a society is not so easy and requires efforts and sacrifices, however the results are the great reward.

37. Where stillness and meditation reign, there is no room for worry or dissipation. (Francis of Assisi)

The habit of meditating and seeking and generating stillness and harmony brings less stress and lack of concentration to human life.

38. We see things, not as they are, but as we are. (Kant)

There is no objectivity in our observations because they are permeated by our ideas.

39. I consider the one who conquers his desires more courageous than the one who conquers his enemies, since the hardest victory is the victory over oneself. (Aristotle)

The battle is not outside, the most difficult battle of the human being is against oneself.

40. Life must be understood backwards. But it must be lived forward. (Kierkegaard)

Our past helps us to understand ourselves and our present, but we should not stop there, because it is the now and the future that we should be looking at.

41. Ignorance flatly affirms or denies; science doubts. (Voltaire)

When the data or information is unknown, the human being, in his arrogance, is capable of being categorical in his opinions, even if they are wrong. Instead, science has taught us to doubt, without blunt assertions, and lead to investigation.

42. Philosophy is a silent dialogue of the soul with itself around being. (Plato)

The objective of philosophy in the life of man is to be able to enter the soul and achieve a connection.

43. True wisdom is in acknowledging your own ignorance. (Socrates)

A wise person has no problem admitting his mistakes and what he is not aware of.

44. People are as happy as they transform their minds to be. (Abraham Lincoln)

Happiness is a state of mind and not a series of ideal circumstances.

45. A good conscience is the best pillow for sleeping. (Socrates)

When our actions are honest and our thoughts pure, we will surely have a greater capacity to live (and sleep) peacefully.

46. There is a motive force more powerful than steam, electricity, and atomic energy: the will. (Albert Einstein)

To begin to make a change, both personal and collective, there is no more powerful weapon than the will to do it or to start.

47. A man only has the right to look down on another when he has to help him up. (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

A great lesson in humility for the Colombian writer.

48. Our most deeply held, most unquestionable convictions are the most suspect. They form our limit, our borders, our prison. (José Ortega y Gasset)

It is us and our ideas and paradigms, which limit us to go further.

49. Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are. (Machiavelli)

We are not capable of showing ourselves as we are to the whole world, on the contrary, there are few people with whom we let ourselves be seen as we are.

50. It is not what happens to you, but how you react that matters. (Epithet)

Many circumstances are daily issues of life that no one is saved from, how we live them makes a big difference.