"I examined the poets, and I look on them as people whose talent overawes both themselves and others, people who present themselves as wise men and are taken as such, when they are nothing of the sort."

"There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance."

"He marvelled that anyone should make money by the profession of virtue, and should not reflect that his highest reward would be the gain of a good friend."

"Knowledge is the only virtue, because once a man knows good from evil, nothing on earth can compel him to act against that knowledge."

"For I was conscious that I knew practically nothing..."