The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers

by Eric Weiner

“all this traffic,” ignoring the fact that we’re part of the traffic, part of the problem.

When we help another person, we help ourselves.

When we lend an ear, we lend a heart, too. Good listening, like good seeing, is a skill, and like all skills, it can be learned.

“So sorry to hear your horse ran away,” they said. “That’s too bad.” “Maybe,” the farmer said. “Maybe not.” The next day the horse returned, bringing seven wild horses with it. “Oh, isn’t that lucky,” said the neighbors. “Now you have eight horses. What a great turn of events.” “Maybe,” said the farmer. “Maybe not.” The next day the farmer’s son was training one of these horses when he was thrown and broke his leg. “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” said the neighbors. “Maybe,” said the farmer. “Maybe not.” The following day, conscription officers came to the village to recruit young men for the army, but they rejected the farmer’s son because he had a broken leg. And all the neighbors said, “Isn’t that great!” “Maybe,” said the farmer. “Maybe not.”

Heard LaBeouf talk about this in an interview 👍🏽

Fill your head with the ideas of others and they’ll displace your own.

True!

we fear what is not harmful and desire what is not necessary.

Kindness honored is kindness multiplied. Kindness is contagious.

The hotel hadn’t changed. I had.

Nothing is ours, not even our bodies. We always rent, never own. This is liberating. If there is nothing to lose there is nothing to fear losing.

Pretending to accept something is like pretending to love someone.

Such thoughts, she eventually realizes, lead nowhere.

3: Stop Caring What Others Think Something curious and wonderful happens when we age. We no longer care what others think of us. More precisely, we realize they weren’t thinking of us in the first place.

Absolutely correct!

“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm,”