ARISTOTLE (384–322 BCE)

Aristotle is among the most important and influential

thinkers and teachers in human history, often
considered — alongside his mentor, Plato — to be a
father of Western Philosophy.” Born in the northern part
of ancient Greece, his writings and ideas on
metaphysics, ethics, knowledge, and methodological
inquiry are at the very root of human thought. Most
philosophers who followed — both those who echoed
and those who opposed his ideas — owed a direct debt
to his wide-ranging influence. Aristotle’s enormous
impact was a consequence both of the breadth of his
writing and his personal reach during his lifetime.

“Our happiness depends upon ourselves.”

“Happiness depends upon ourselves ” means how people enjoy what they have and how much they
appreciate the essence of life. ... People can find happiness in many things such as wealth, but ultimately
it is your decision to have self-satisfaction and enjoy what you have already, not what you desire.

Happiness is not something that comes from outside or the circumstances we live in, but rather from
within ourselves and how we live those experiences.

If we go through life believing that happiness depends on our circumstances, the situations we go through,
on having more money, better kids, a good job, a stable relationship , etc., we will

constantly be searching for what we are missing, without realizing that happiness has nothing to do with
all that.

We can always find happiness within ourselves.

It’s not something that comes from outside; it’s a matter of realizing that it doesn’t depend on what we
have, but on what we are. This means learning to love ourselves , accept ourselves , and to live with
ourselves. These are the keys to uncovering the happiness that dwells within us, no matter what situation
we are faced with.

Our attitude towards life changes when we become aware that personal satisfaction is not as fickle as
they have made us believe. It doesn’t constantly depend on what is happening around us.

We have the ability to choose how we live our experiences. We can achieve greater harmony and take
responsibility for our happiness. It’s not a matter of having more positive experiences than negative ones;
it’s about learning to integrate all of these experiences as life learning , since all of them are useful and
necessary.
“Happiness is an expression of the soul in considered actions.”

We must understand that we are not going to be happier by having more victories, more money, power,
and recognition, given that happiness has nothing to do with ambition.

We must understand that we are not going to be happier by having greater pleasure sensations,

as the search for pleasure through the body is also not what brings happiness.

All of these types of things create a superficial, shallow life . It represents the human being that is sleeping
and who lives in the world of quantity.

It is essential to realize that happiness has more to do with the psychological than the physical. It requires
an elevated state of consciousness, an encounter with oneself, an awakening to what is truly important.

We can obtain it if we learn to listen to ourselves, to fulfill our true needs, distancing ourselves from all
that enslaves us and surrounds us in a cycle of permanent, unsatisfying desire.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Knowing yourself will give you a sense of power over yourself. Once you master yourself by knowing all
your opinions thoughts, feelings and what are the premises of those , you will feel independent. By that
you can judge an opinion whether that is right or wrong. The point is know yourself and that will be the
most beautiful and useful thing you will do.

Aristotle has said knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Having wisdom will open so many things
for you in life.

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

Education is useless if you're not using it with heart. Many people have attained their desired goals and
have high position in society. But the problems are they don't know how to look back where they came
from, they don't help others, they don't give respect to other individual, they don't give to the poor and
they forgot the essence of humanity. Yes, there are persons who are educated but seems uneducated
because of their acts.

“My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake.”

A best friend is who wishes you to become good and help you to become a better person. A best friend
will help you in times of need, who will pat your back and will say "It's going to be alright." A friend that
will stay in good and bad happenings in life and will offer an unconditional love. Giving unselfish affection
and bond without the thought of self interest and will walk through your journey. He who will congratulate
you when you achieve something and will help you when you fail.

Confucius (551–479 BCE)

Chinese teacher, writer, and philosopher
Confucius viewed himself as a channel for the
theological ideas and values of the imperial
dynasties that came before him. With an
emphasis on family and social harmony,
Confucius advocated for a way of life that
reflected a spiritual and religious tradition, but
which was also distinctly humanist and even
secularist. Confucius — thought to be a
contemporary of Taoist progenitor Lao-Tzu —
had a profound impact on the development of
Eastern legal customs and the emergence of a
scholarly ruling class. Confucianism would engage
in historic push-pull with the philosophies of
Buddhism and Taoism, experiencing ebbs and
flows in influence, its high points coming during
the Han (206 BCE–220 CE), Tang (618–907 CE), and Song (960–1296 CE) Dynasties. As Buddhism became
the dominant spiritual force in China, Confucianism declined in practice. However, it remains a
foundational philosophy underlying Asian and Chinese attitudes toward scholarly, legal, and professional
pursuits.

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

Every person has its own kind of beauty, but not everyone sees and appreciates it. We are created by the
almighty God with different beauties but some people have set their own standards of beauty that's why
they don't give attention to the worth of other beauty.
"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals; adjust the action steps."

When the goal seems unattainable, we don't need to change the goals, but rather revise the actions and
plans to achieve it. It is not the goal that hinders us to fail or not to achieve something, but the deeds or
acts that are we taking today. We need an appropriate actions and efficient strategies that will suit to our
desired goals.

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

"Not hearing is not as good as hearing, hearing is not as good as seeing, seeing is not as good as knowing,
knowing is not as good as acting; true learning continues until it is put into action."

"Respect yourself and others will respect you."

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."

 René Descartes

(1596–1650)

A French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist,

Descartes was born in France but spent 20 years of his
life in the Dutch Republic. As a member of the Dutch
States Army, then as the Prince of Orange and
subsequently as Stadtholder (a position of national
leadership in the Dutch Republic), Descartes wielded
considerable intellectual influence over the period
known as the Dutch Golden Age. He often
distinguished himself by refuting or attempting to
undo the ideas of those that came before him.

I think; therefore I am.

It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.

The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues.

The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.

Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.
 Plato

Greek philosopher and teacher Plato did

nothing less than found the first
institution of higher learning in the
Western World, establishing the
Academy of Athens and cementing his
own status as the most important figure
in the development of western
philosophical tradition. As the pupil of
Socrates and the mentor to Aristotle,
Plato is the connecting figure in what
might be termed the great triumvirate of
Greek thought in both philosophy and
science. A quote by British
philosopher Alfred North Whitehead
sums upthe enormity of his influence,
noting “the safest general
characterization of the European
philosophical tradition is that it consists
of a series of footnotes to Plato.”
Indeed, it could be argued that Plato
founded political philosophy,
introducing both the dialectic and
dialogic forms of writing as ways to
explore various areas of thought. (Often, in his dialogues, he employed his mentor Socrates as the vessel
for his own thoughts and ideas.) While he was not the first individual to partake of the activity of
philosophy, he was perhaps the first to truly define what it meant, to articulate its purpose, and to reveal
how it could be applied with scientific rigor. This orientation provided a newly concreted framework for
considering questions of ethics, politics, knowledge, and theology. Such is to say that it is nearly impossible
to sum up the impact of Plato’s ideas on science, ethics, mathematics, or the evolution of thought itself
other than to say it has been total, permeating, and inexorable from the tradition of rigorous thinking
itself.

1. Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say
something
2. Courage is knowing what not to fear
3. A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers
.