The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.

[ho de anexetastos bios ou biôtos anthrôpôi]

Socrates (c.470-399 BC) Greek philosopher

In Plato, Apology, sec. 38

Var. trans:

• The unexamining life is not worth living for a human being.
• The life which is unexamined is not worth living.
• An unexamined life is not worth living.
• The unexamined life is not the life for man.
• The unexamined life is not worth living for man.
• The unexamined life is not worth living. [Jowett (1894)]
• If I tell you that I would be disobeying the god and on that account it is impossible for me to keep quiet, you won’t be persuaded by me, taking it that I am ironizing. And if I tell you that it is the greatest good for a human being to have discussions every day about virtue and the other things you hear me talking about, examining myself and others, and that the unexamined life is not livable for a human being, you will be even less persuaded.