Philosophy Quotes

Welcome to a thoughtfully curated selection of philosophy quotes spanning ancient sages to contemporary thinkers. These brief sparks invite reflection on meaning, truth, virtue, power, and the everyday choices that shape a life. Whether you're seeking clarity, challenge, or simple curiosity, let these voices open space for questioning, agreement, and dissent. Read slowly, hold ideas lightly, and return often; the value of philosophy lies as much in the questions it raises as in the answers it suggests.
Small: The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next
Henry Ward Beecher
"The philosophy of one century is the common sense of the next"
Henry Ward Beecher, Clergyman
Small: There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy
Friedrich Nietzsche
"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy"
Friedrich Nietzsche, Philosopher
Small: The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next
Abraham Lincoln
"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next"
Abraham Lincoln, President
Small: Any genuine philosophy leads to action and from action back again to wonder, to the enduring fact of mystery
Henry Miller
"Any genuine philosophy leads to action and from action back again to wonder, to the enduring fact of mystery"
Henry Miller, Writer
Small: I am now convinced that theoretical physics is actually philosophy
Max Born
"I am now convinced that theoretical physics is actually philosophy"
Max Born, Mathematician
Small: Truth is the object of philosophy, but not always of philosophers
"Truth is the object of philosophy, but not always of philosophers"
John Churton Collins, Critic
Small: There is no heresy or no philosophy which is so abhorrent to the church as a human being
James Joyce
"There is no heresy or no philosophy which is so abhorrent to the church as a human being"
James Joyce, Novelist
Small: While I am interested both in economics and in philosophy, the union of my interests in the two fields far exc
"While I am interested both in economics and in philosophy, the union of my interests in the two fields far exceeds their intersection"
Amartya Sen, Philosopher
Small: Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there
Sydney J. Harris
"Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there"
Sydney J. Harris, Journalist
Small: Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy
Margaret Thatcher
"Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy"
Margaret Thatcher, Leader
Small: Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables
Thomas Aquinas
"Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder"
Thomas Aquinas, Theologian
Small: Design is not for philosophy its for life
Issey Miyake
"Design is not for philosophy it's for life"
Issey Miyake, Designer
Small: Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God
Francis Bacon
"Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God"
Francis Bacon, Philosopher
Small: Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it
Albert Camus
"Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it"
Albert Camus, Philosopher
Small: The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible o
Epictetus
"The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things"
Epictetus, Philosopher
Small: Art for arts sake is a philosophy of the well-fed
Frank Lloyd Wright
"Art for art's sake is a philosophy of the well-fed"
Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect
Small: The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with som
Bertrand Russell
"The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it"
Bertrand Russell, Philosopher
Small: Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value rather it is one of those thi
C. S. Lewis
"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival"
C. S. Lewis, Author
Small: The Linux philosophy is Laugh in the face of danger. Oops. Wrong One. Do it yourself. Yes, thats it
Linus Torvalds
"The Linux philosophy is 'Laugh in the face of danger'. Oops. Wrong One. 'Do it yourself'. Yes, that's it"
Linus Torvalds, Businessman
Small: People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind
"People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind"
William Butler Yeats, Poet
Small: The true function of philosophy is to educate us in the principles of reasoning and not to put an end to furth
George Henry Lewes
"The true function of philosophy is to educate us in the principles of reasoning and not to put an end to further reasoning by the introduction of fixed conclusions"
George Henry Lewes, Philosopher
Small: I think philosophers can do things akin to theoretical scientists, in that, having read about empirical data,
"I think philosophers can do things akin to theoretical scientists, in that, having read about empirical data, they too can think of what hypotheses and theories might account for that data. So there's a continuity between philosophy and science in that way"
Robert Nozick, Philosopher
Small: History is Philosophy teaching by examples
"History is Philosophy teaching by examples"
Thucydides, Historian
Small: But human experience is usually paradoxical, that means incongruous with the phrases of current talk or even c
George Eliot
"But human experience is usually paradoxical, that means incongruous with the phrases of current talk or even current philosophy"
George Eliot, Author
Small: Aphorisms are the true form of the universal philosophy
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
"Aphorisms are the true form of the universal philosophy"
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, Poet
Small: Our philosophy is that we care about people first
Mark Zuckerberg
"Our philosophy is that we care about people first"
Mark Zuckerberg, Businessman
Small: Words, without power, is mere philosophy
Muhammad Iqbal
"Words, without power, is mere philosophy"
Muhammad Iqbal, Poet
Small: The philosophy of protectionism is a philosophy of war
"The philosophy of protectionism is a philosophy of war"
Ludwig von Mises, Economist
Small: What I mean by photographing as a participant rather than observer is that Im not only involved directly with
Galen Rowell
"What I mean by photographing as a participant rather than observer is that I'm not only involved directly with some of the activities that I photograph, such as mountain climbing, but even when I'm not I have the philosophy that my mind and body are part of the natural world"
Galen Rowell, Photographer
Small: Our whole philosophy is one of transparency
"Our whole philosophy is one of transparency"
Valerie Jarrett, Lawyer
Small: History should be written as philosophy
Voltaire
"History should be written as philosophy"
Voltaire, Writer
Small: A fools brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence Universit
George Bernard Shaw
"A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education"
George Bernard Shaw, Dramatist
Small: Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is t
Winston Churchill
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"
Winston Churchill, Statesman
Small: I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than
Henry David Thoreau
"I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business"
Henry David Thoreau, Author
Small: All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain
Epictetus
"All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain"
Epictetus, Philosopher
Small: Greek philosophy seems to have met with something with which a good tragedy is not supposed to meet, namely, a
Karl Marx
"Greek philosophy seems to have met with something with which a good tragedy is not supposed to meet, namely, a dull ending"
Karl Marx, Philosopher
Small: The philosophy of the common man is an old wife that gives him no pleasure, yet he cannot live without her, an
George Santayana
"The philosophy of the common man is an old wife that gives him no pleasure, yet he cannot live without her, and resents any aspersions that strangers may cast on her character"
George Santayana, Philosopher
Small: A novel is never anything, but a philosophy put into images
Jim Rohn
"A novel is never anything, but a philosophy put into images"
Jim Rohn, Businessman
Small: Art requires philosophy, just as philosophy requires art. Otherwise, what would become of beauty?
Paul Gauguin
"Art requires philosophy, just as philosophy requires art. Otherwise, what would become of beauty?"
Paul Gauguin, Artist
Small: Religion is part of the human make-up. Its also part of our cultural and intellectual history. Religion was ou
"Religion is part of the human make-up. It's also part of our cultural and intellectual history. Religion was our first attempt at literature, the texts, our first attempt at cosmology, making sense of where we are in the universe, our first attempt at health care, believing in faith healing, our first attempt at philosophy"
Christopher Hitchens, Author
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