苏格拉底被觉得是西方哲学和伦理学的奠基人，与其学生柏拉图与柏拉图的学生亚里斯多德并称希腊三贤。
作为人类历史上最伟大的哲学家之一，苏格拉底却异常谦虚，他曾说：我唯一了解的事情就是我的无知。苏格拉底一生的生活朴实无华，专心致力于学问研究。在欧洲文化史上，他一直被看作是为追求真理而死的圣人。他的思想对人类历史影响这样深远，大家学英语的人也很有必要知道这一位伟大的智者。在记忆英语单词的时候，温习一些这位历史巨人的名言必然会受益匪浅。
1.A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere1 illusion, a thoroughly2 vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true.
Morality:道德
Illusion:虚幻
Thoroughly:完全地
Vulgar:庸俗的；低级的
2 All men's souls are immortal3, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and pine.
Righteous:正直的
Divine:神圣的
3. Envy is the ulcer4 of the soul.
Envy:嫉妒；形容词 envious
Ulcer:溃疡：弊病
4.As to marriage or celibacy5, let a man take which course he will, he will be sure to repent6.
Celibacy: 独身；形容词为celibate， 同时celibate7 也可以做名词，意思是维持独身的人。
Repent:后悔
（这句话就别当名言了，幽默一下吧！）
5 Beauty is the bait which with delight allures8 man to enlarge his kind.
Bait:鱼饵
Allure:魅惑
Enlarge:扩大
6 Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
Barrenness: 荒芜；贫乏；形容词Barren
7 By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Philosopher:哲学家
（这句话就别当名言了，再幽默一下吧！瞧瞧，大哲学家可不是大家想像的那样学究气十足，其实他们最富幽默感）
8 False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.
Infect:传染；污染
9 I decided9 that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime10 messages without knowing in the least what they mean.
Instinct:本能
Inspiration:想法
Prophet:先知
Sublime:崇高的
10 I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.
Ignorance: 无知；形容词ignorant
11 If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented11 to take their own and depart.
Misfortune:不幸
Whence：由此（书面语）
Portion:一份；部分
Contented:认可的
12 Our prayers should be for blessings12 in general, for God knows best what is good for us.
Prayer:祷告
Blessing:祝福
13 The poets are only the interpreters of the Gods.
Interpreter: 讲解者；口译者
14 Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.
Worthless:没价值的；无意义的
15. Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue13 elation14 in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity.
Undue:过度的
Elation:得意洋洋
Prosperity:富足；兴盛
Depression:消沉；抑郁
Adversity: 逆境；不幸
16. Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly15 reprove thy faults.
Faithful:忠实的
Reprove:责备；不赞成
Fault:缺点；错误
Thy: （古英语）你的，等于your
