30 Greek Quotes and Proverbs (with English Translations)

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Looking for wise Greek quotes about life? Or maybe some everyday Greek proverbs you can actually drop into a conversation? You've come to the right place.

Greek is the language that gave us philosophy, democracy and the alphabet, so it's no surprise it also gave us some of the most quotable lines in human history. In this article you'll get two things. First, the famous quotes from the ancient thinkers everyone has heard of, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and friends. Second, and this is the part most articles skip, the living folk proverbs that Greek people still say to each other today.

Every single one comes with the original Greek, a pronunciation guide so you can say it out loud, and the meaning behind it. That makes this more than a list of pretty words. It's a shortcut into how Greek speakers actually think, and a genuinely fun way to pick up real vocabulary in context. If the Greek script is still new to you, keep our guide to the Greek alphabet open in another tab, and our list of essential Greek words is a good companion too.

One quick heads up. The internet is full of “ancient Greek quotes” that the ancient Greeks never actually said. I've flagged the worst offenders in a section near the end, so you don't end up quoting a meme as if it were Aristotle.

A note on the Greek you'll see below: the ancient quotes are written in the older polytonic spelling, with its extra accent and breathing marks, exactly as Greek scholars still print them. The modern proverbs use today's simpler monotonic spelling. So if the accents look different between the two halves of this article, that's correct, not a typo.

Let's get into it.

5 Greek Quotes About Wisdom and Learning

We'll start where Greek thought started: with knowing things, and knowing how little you know.

1. Γνῶθι σεαυτόν – “Know thyself”

Pronounced gnóthi seaftón, this is probably the most famous two words in all of Greek philosophy. It was carved into the Temple of Apollo at Delphi long before Socrates was born, so it isn't really his line, despite what half the internet tells you. Socrates simply made it the heart of everything he taught. As a motto for a language learner, it's hard to beat: know your own habits, know what trips you up, and you're halfway to fixing it.

2. Ἃ μὴ οἶδα οὐδὲ οἴομαι εἰδέναι – “What I do not know, I do not think I know either”

Pronounced ha mi oída oudé oíomai eidénai, this is what Socrates actually said in Plato's Apology. The snappy version you usually see, “I know that I know nothing”, is a later remix that Plato never wrote. The real line is sharper: Socrates is wiser than the people around him only because he doesn't pretend to know things he doesn't. Worth remembering the next time you're tempted to nod along to something you didn't quite catch.

3. Πάντες ἄνθρωποι τοῦ εἰδέναι ὀρέγονται φύσει – “All human beings by nature desire to know”

Pronounced pántes ánthropoi tou eidénai orégontai fýsei, this is the very first line of Aristotle's Metaphysics. It's a lovely thing to keep in mind when learning feels like a slog: the urge to understand isn't something you have to manufacture, it's built into you. You were born curious.

4. Οἰκοδομοῦντες οἰκοδόμοι γίνονται – “People become builders by building”

Pronounced oikodomoúntes oikodómoi gínontai, this comes from Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, where he points out that we become what we are by doing it first. You become a builder by building, a harp player by playing the harp. There is no better summary of how language actually works. You become a Greek speaker by speaking Greek, badly at first, then less badly, then well. You can't read your way there.

5. Μάλα γὰρ φιλοσόφου τοῦτο τὸ πάθος, τὸ θαυμάζειν – “Wonder is very much the mark of a philosopher”

Pronounced mála gar filosófou toúto to páthos, to thafmázein, this is Socrates speaking in Plato's Theaetetus. The Greeks believed all thinking begins in wonder, in being struck by something and wanting to understand it. Hold on to that feeling of being amazed by a new language, because it's the engine that keeps you going.

4 Greek Quotes About Change and Life

The ancient Greeks were obsessed with time, change and what lasts. These four have aged remarkably well.

1. Ποταμοῖσι τοῖσιν αὐτοῖσιν ἐμβαίνουσιν ἕτερα καὶ ἕτερα ὕδατα ἐπιρρεῖ – “On those who step into the same rivers, ever-different waters flow”

Pronounced potamoísi toísin aftoísin emvaínousin étera kai étera ýdata epirreí, this is the genuine fragment from Heraclitus. The popular version, “you can't step in the same river twice”, is actually a paraphrase by Plutarch centuries later. Heraclitus's real point is subtler and more beautiful: the river stays the same river precisely because the water is always different. Change is what keeps things alive.

That idea of ever-changing water has stuck with me ever since I went island-hopping around Greece. Looking out over the Aegean in Santorini, Heraclitus made a lot more sense:

2. Ὁδὸς ἄνω κάτω μία καὶ ὡυτή – “The road up and the road down are one and the same”

Pronounced odós áno káto mía kai ofytí, this is another Heraclitus fragment, and one of his best attested. Opposites, he's saying, aren't really separate things. Up and down, gain and loss, easy and hard are two faces of the same coin. A good thing to remember on a bad study day.

3. Οἵη περ φύλλων γενεή, τοίη δὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν – “As is the generation of leaves, so too is that of men”

Pronounced oíi per fýllon geneí, toíi de kai andrón, this line is from Homer's Iliad. Generations of people come and go like leaves on a tree, one falling as the next grows. It's a humbling, oddly comforting image that poets from Virgil to Keats have borrowed ever since.

4. Κάθε εμπόδιο για καλό – “Every obstacle is for the good”

Pronounced káthe empódio yia kaló, and here we cross from ancient Greek into modern, because this one is a proverb Greeks still say today. It's the Greek version of “everything happens for a reason”, reached for whenever a plan falls apart. The fact that the older philosophers and ordinary modern Greeks land in such similar places tells you something about the culture.

3 Greek Quotes About Friendship and a Life Well Lived

1. Ἡ τῆς φιλίας κτῆσις – “The acquisition of friendship is the greatest good”

Pronounced i tis filías ktísis, this comes from Epicurus, who ranked friendship above almost everything else wisdom can offer. People often picture Epicurus as a man chasing pleasure, but for him the deepest pleasure was good company. Learning a language is one of the great connectors between people, so he'd approve.

2. Μήτε νέος τις ὢν μελλέτω φιλοσοφεῖν, μήτε γέρων κοπιάτω – “Let no one delay philosophy when young, nor grow weary of it when old”

Pronounced míte néos tis on melléto filosofeín, míte yéron kopiáto, this is Epicurus again, and it's the line I'd hand to every adult who tells me they're “too old to learn a language”. He's saying the examined life belongs to every age. So does learning. Nobody is too young to start and nobody is ever too old.

3. Τὴν πᾶσαν πόλιν τῆς Ἑλλάδος παίδευσιν εἶναι – “Our whole city is the school of Greece”

Pronounced tin pásan pólin tis Elládos paídefsin eínai, these are the words Thucydides gives to Pericles in his famous Funeral Oration. Athens, Pericles claims, is the teacher of all Greece. A bold thing to say about your own hometown, and a reminder that the Greeks took learning seriously enough to build a civilisation around it.

3 Famous Greek Sayings You Already Half-Know

Some Greek wisdom has travelled so far that you've met it without knowing where it came from.

1. Ὄμφακές εἰσιν – “They're sour grapes”

Pronounced ómfakés eisin, this is the fox's line from Aesop's fable of the fox and the grapes. Unable to reach the fruit, the fox decides it must be sour anyway, and gave English the phrase “sour grapes” for pretending you didn't want what you couldn't have. The Greeks have been side-eyeing that fox for over two thousand years.

2. Μία χελιδών ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ – “One swallow does not make a spring”

Pronounced mía chelidón éar ou poieí, this one also traces back to Aesop and was later quoted by Aristotle. A single good sign doesn't prove the whole trend, so don't get carried away by one easy day with your flashcards. The hard days are coming, and so is spring.

3. Σπεῦδε βραδέως – “Make haste slowly”

Pronounced spéfde vradéos, this paradoxical little motto was a favourite of the ancient world. Do things urgently, yes, but don't rush them into a mess. For a language learner it's perfect advice: show up every day, but don't expect to swallow the language whole in a weekend.

3 Greek Proverbs About Patience and Time

Now for the living language. These are folk proverbs you'll genuinely hear in Greece, and dropping one into a conversation is a guaranteed way to make a Greek speaker grin.

1. Κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ – “Better late than never”

Pronounced kállio argá pará poté, this is the exact twin of the English saying, which makes it an easy first proverb to memorise. Use it on yourself the day you finally restart the language you've been putting off.

2. Τα παθήματα μαθήματα – “Sufferings are lessons”

Pronounced ta pathímata mathímata, this is one of the most loved proverbs in Greek, partly because it rhymes so neatly in the original. The idea is that our painful experiences are exactly the ones that teach us most. Notice how close pathímata (sufferings) and mathímata (lessons) sound. That near-rhyme is the whole point, and it makes the proverb stick in your head instantly.

3. Μάθε τέχνη κι άσ' τηνε, κι αν πεινάσεις πιάσ' τηνε – “Learn a trade and set it aside, and if you go hungry, take it up again”

Pronounced máthe téchni ki as' tine, ki an peináseis piás' tine, this is folk wisdom about always having a skill in your back pocket. No skill you learn is ever wasted, even one you don't use right away. Languages are the ultimate example, sitting quietly in your memory until the day a job, a trip or a new friend brings them roaring back.

4 Greek Proverbs About Wisdom and Caution

1. Άμα καείς από χυλό, φυσάς και το γιαούρτι – “Once you're burned by porridge, you blow on yoghurt too”

Pronounced áma kaís apó chiló, fisás kai to yiaoúrti, this is the Greek “once bitten, twice shy”, but far more vivid. Burn your mouth on hot porridge once and you'll nervously blow on cold yoghurt forever after. Greek proverbs love this kind of kitchen-table imagery.

2. Καθαρός ουρανός αστραπές δε φοβάται – “A clear sky is not afraid of lightning”

Pronounced katharós ouranós astrapés de fováte, this means a person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear. You'll hear it used to reassure someone who's been unfairly accused, or pointedly aimed at someone whose conscience is anything but clear.

3. Κάλλιο πέντε και στο χέρι, παρά δέκα και καρτέρει – “Better five in the hand than ten and waiting”

Pronounced kállio pénte kai sto chéri, pará déka kai kartérei, this is the Greek “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. Take the sure thing over the bigger maybe. As a bonus, it's secretly a numbers lesson, so if your Greek counting is shaky, our guide to Greek numbers will sort you out.

4. Από μικρό κι από τρελό μαθαίνεις την αλήθεια – “From a child and a madman you learn the truth”

Pronounced apó mikró ki apó treló mathéneis tin alíthia, this captures the idea that the people least worried about being polite often say the truest things. Children and the uninhibited blurt out what everyone else is thinking.

3 Greek Proverbs About Words and Truth

As a language site, these are our favourites, because they're all about the power of the thing you're learning to use.

1. Η γλώσσα κόκαλα δεν έχει, αλλά κόκαλα τσακίζει – “The tongue has no bones, but it crushes bones”

Pronounced i glóssa kókala den échi, allá kókala tsakízei, this is a brilliant warning about the power of words. Speech is soft and boneless, yet it can break a person. There's a lovely bonus here for learners: the Greek word glóssa means both “tongue” and “language”, so this proverb is quietly about the very thing you're studying. (When you're ready to put those words to work, our must-know Greek phrases are the place to start.)

2. Αλήθεια χωρίς ψέματα, φαΐ χωρίς αλάτι – “Truth without lies is like food without salt”

Pronounced alíthia chorís psémata, faḯ chorís aláti, this is a wonderfully Greek take on honesty. A little tact, like a little salt, makes the plain truth easier to swallow. Pure bluntness, the proverb hints, can be hard to digest.

3. Μάτια που δεν βλέπονται γρήγορα λησμονιούνται – “Eyes that don't see each other are quickly forgotten”

Pronounced mátia pou den vléponte, grígora lismonioúnte, this is the Greek “out of sight, out of mind”, and it's used about friendships and romances that fade with distance. If your own heart is in Greece, you might also enjoy our roundup of how to say I love you in Greek.

3 Greek Proverbs About Friendship and People

1. Ο καλός ο φίλος στην ανάγκη φαίνεται – “A true friend shows in times of need”

Pronounced o kalós o fílos stin anángi fénete, this is the Greek “a friend in need is a friend indeed”. Real friendship, the Greeks say, reveals itself in a crisis and not over a relaxed coffee. And if you want to tell those friends how you feel, our list of Greek terms of endearment will help.

2. Αγάπα τον γείτονά σου, αλλά μη γκρεμίζεις και τον φράχτη – “Love your neighbour, but don't knock down the fence”

Pronounced agápa ton yítoná sou, allá mi gkremízeis kai ton fráchti, this is a beautifully practical bit of advice about boundaries. Be warm with the people around you, sure, but keep a healthy line in place. Friendliness and naivety are not the same thing.

3. Τα βόδια τα δένουν απ' τα κέρατα, τον άνθρωπο απ' το λόγο του – “Oxen are tied by their horns, a person by their word”

Pronounced ta vódia ta dénoun ap' ta kérata, ton ánthropo ap' to lógo tou, this says your word is your bond. An ox is held by its horns, but a person is held to account by what they promised. Say what you mean in Greek and the Greeks will respect you for it.

3 Fun Greek Proverbs for Everyday Life

1. Ο βρεγμένος τη βροχή δεν τη φοβάται – “The one who's already wet isn't afraid of the rain”

Pronounced o vregménos ti vrochí den ti fováte, this is for the moment when things can't really get any worse, so why worry. Once you're soaked, a bit more rain hardly matters. It's the Greek shrug in proverb form.

2. Όταν λείπει η γάτα, χορεύουν τα ποντίκια – “When the cat's away, the mice dance”

Pronounced ótan leípei i gáta, chorévoun ta pontíkia, this is the near-perfect twin of the English “when the cat's away, the mice will play”. Whenever the person in charge steps out, the fun begins. An easy, recognisable one to add to your collection.

3. Απ' έξω κούκλα κι από μέσα πανούκλα – “On the outside a doll, on the inside the plague”

Pronounced ap' éxo koúkla ki apó mésa panoúkla, this is the Greek “all that glitters is not gold”, and it rhymes gorgeously in the original (koúkla / panoúkla). It's aimed at something or someone that looks lovely on the surface but is rotten underneath.

Greek Quotes That Are Wrongly Attributed (Don't Get Caught Out)

Before you go quoting any of these at a dinner party, a quick warning. Some of the most shared “ancient Greek quotes” online were never said by the people they're pinned on. Here are the worst offenders:

• “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Almost always credited to Aristotle. In fact these are the words of the historian Will Durant, written in 1926 while summarising Aristotle. Aristotle never wrote that sentence.
• “I know that I know nothing.” Pinned on Socrates everywhere, but it's a tidied-up later version. What Plato actually wrote is the fuller line you saw above in quote number 2.
• “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Frequently dressed up as Socrates or Plato. It almost certainly comes from a Scottish writer, Ian Maclaren, in 1897.
• “You cannot step into the same river twice.” Attributed to Heraclitus, but it's Plutarch's paraphrase. The real fragment is the richer one in quote number 1 of the “Change and Life” section.

None of this makes the sentiments worse. It just means you'll be the rare person who quotes them honestly.

Αγάλι αγάλι γίνεται η αγουρίδα μέλι – “Little by little, the unripe grape turns to honey”

I've saved my favourite for last, because no proverb sums up language learning better than this one. Pronounced agáli agáli gínetai i agourída méli, it means that good things ripen slowly, and there's no rushing them. Your Greek won't be sweet on day one. But show up little by little, agáli agáli, and one day you'll realise the sour grape has quietly turned to honey.

If these have whetted your appetite, the natural next step is to start using the language for real. Learn how to say hello in Greek, how to say thank you in Greek, and you'll already be holding the bones of a conversation. To hear these proverbs spoken by natives and build from there, our friends at GreekPod101 are a fantastic resource, with lessons for absolute beginners right through to advanced.

And if you want to go all the way and actually have a 15-minute conversation in Greek, that's exactly what the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp is built to get you to. Pick a proverb from this list as your motto, and let's get you speaking.

Which Greek proverb is your favourite? Come tell me over on Instagram @irishpolyglot.

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