“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”

The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.

There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless.

I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.

The philosopher whose dealings are with divine order himself acquires the characteristics of order and divinity.

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being.

Man is a prisoner who has no right to open the door of his prison and run away. A man should wait, and not take his own life until God summons him.

Philosophy is the highest music.

Time is the moving image of reality.

The measure of a man is what he does with power.

Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature.

Death is not the worst that can happen to men.

Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.

The first and best victory is to conquer self.

Excess of liberty, whether it lies in state or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery.

Man is a being in search of meaning.

Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.

Everything that’s created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Your words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.

Why do the people who complete our emptiness live far away?  

Without you in my arms, I feel an emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face – I know it’s an impossibility, but I cannot help myself.

You’re beautiful, but you’re empty. No one could die for you.

Freedom comes from seeing the ignorance of your critics and discovering the emptiness of their virtue.

Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace.

Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings — always darker, emptier and simpler.

Some people see the glass half full. Others see it half empty. I see a glass that’s twice as big as it needs to be.