--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not care for the things that most…" description: "\"“I did not care for the things that most people care about– making money, having a comfortable home, high military or civil rank, and all the other act..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_making-money_i-did-not-care-for-the-things-that-most_2449122.jpg" --- # I did not care for the things that most people care about–… ![“I did not care for the things that most people care about– making money, having a comfortable home, high military or civil rank, and all the other activities, political appointments, secret societies, party organizations, which go on in our city . . . I set myself to do you– each one of you…” quote by Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_making-money_i-did-not-care-for-the-things-that-most_2449122.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_making-money_i-did-not-care-for-the-things-that-most_2449122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/671/socrates-405_making-money_i-did-not-care-for-the-things-that-most_2449122.jpg) > ““I did not care for the things that most people care about– making money, having a comfortable home, high military or civil rank, and all the other activities, political appointments, secret societies, party organizations, which go on in our city . . . I set myself to do you– each one of you, individually and in private– what I hold to be the greatest possible service. I tried to persuade each one of you to concern himself less with what he has than with what he is, so as to render himself as excellent and as rational as possible.”” [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Socrates argues that personal virtue and rational self‑improvement outweigh material wealth, status, or political power. **In simple terms:** Focus on being virtuous rather than acquiring possessions. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner excellence. Themes virtue self‑improvement philosophy ethics Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - education - leadership - community service Key Concepts rationality excellence service Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance self‑growth with societal responsibilities? - What does “being excellent” mean to you? A Different Perspective Neglecting basic needs can be impractical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Did Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-care-383729/) [Individually Private](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individually-private-555343/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [People Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-care/) [Persuade Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuade-concern-555344/) [Tried Persuade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tried-persuade-555345/) ## Related quotes > [“I thought to myself: 'Is the pain a little less than when I went away?' and tried to persuade myself that it was so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-thought-to-myself-is-the-pain-a-little-less-than-when-i-went-away/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [The spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless... From the conclusion of this war we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-spirit-of-the-times-may-alter-will-alter-our-rulers-will-become/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [If you did not care at all what anyone else thought about you, what would you do differently or change in your life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/if-you-did-not-care-at-all-what-anyone-else-thought-about-you-what/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [Did you even care?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn/did-you-even-care/) [Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn/) > [“She did not care what some pampered citizens thought of her. She knew her worth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-morris/she-did-not-care-what-some-pampered-citizens-thought-of-her-she-knew/) [Lucy Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-morris/) > [I don't know which I would rather beleive... That you never did care or that eventually you stopped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-orante/i-don-t-know-which-i-would-rather-beleive-that-you-never-did-care-or/) [Cristina Orante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-orante/) > [I should never have cared. But I did care a lot. And I still fucking care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uknown/i-should-never-have-cared-but-i-did-care-a-lot-and-i-still-fucking/) [Uknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uknown/) > [I remember obscure / Never a man to love others did not care about their life / lives of others today do not care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/i-remember-obscure-never-a-man-to-love-others-did-not-care-about/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Since when did you ever care?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine/since-when-did-you-ever-care/) [Jasmine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine/) > [“He did not care about titles and was proud to be a farmer beyond all else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsuneichi-miyamoto/he-did-not-care-about-titles-and-was-proud-to-be-a-farmer-beyond-all/) [Tsuneichi Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsuneichi-miyamoto/) > [If God did not care for you, there would never be a sense of a need to respond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/if-god-did-not-care-for-you-there-would-never-be-a-sense-of-a-need-to/) [Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/) > [I should never have cared. But I did care. I cared a lot. And I still fucking care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren/i-should-never-have-cared-but-i-did-care-i-cared-a-lot-and-i-still/) [Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren/) > [There was a point where I just did not care about my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/there-was-a-point-where-i-just-did-not-care-about-my-body/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [I did not care what it was all about. All I wanted to know was how to live in it. Maybe if you found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-did-not-care-what-it-was-all-about-all-i-wanted-to-know-was-how-to/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [How come you don't feel that magic in the air? I guess I knew you'll never be there. I guess I knew you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-come-you-don-t-feel-that-magic-in-the-air-i-guess-i-knew-you-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Socrates > [By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/by-all-means-marry-if-you-get-a-good-wife-you-ll-be-happy-if-you-get/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Falling down is not a failure. Failure comes when you stay where you have fallen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/falling-down-is-not-a-failure-failure-comes-when-you-stay-where-you/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Do not go through life like leaf blown from here to there believing whatever you are told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/do-not-go-through-life-like-leaf-blown-from-here-to-there-believing/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If the whole world depends on today's youth, I can't see the world lasting another 100 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-the-whole-world-depends-on-today-s-youth-i-can-t-see-the-world/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“I only know, I know nothing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-only-know-i-know-nothing/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-cannot-teach-anybody-anything-i-can-only-make-them-think/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... 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You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [Nigel Farage has spent his entire political career making money from dog whistle politics. If there's a dog whistle to be blown, he'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humza-yousaf/nigel-farage-has-spent-his-entire-political-career-making-money-from/) [Humza Yousaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humza-yousaf/) > [Making money isn't the backbone of our guiding purpose; it is the by-product of our guiding purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/making-money-isn-t-the-backbone-of-our-guiding-purpose-it-is-the-by/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“Innocent? Is that supposed to be funny? An obese man... a disgusting man who could barely stand up; a man who if you saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doe/innocent-is-that-supposed-to-be-funny-an-obese-man-a-disgusting-man/) [John Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doe/) > [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“He was forever inventing a new way of doing an old thing and doing it better and quicker, but he never in his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/he-was-forever-inventing-a-new-way-of-doing-an-old-thing-and-doing-it/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The impresario function is about intervening with the company's more administrative management structure. It is about trying to establish a sense of boundaries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/the-impresario-function-is-about-intervening-with-the-company-s-more/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [In the Machine Age, the company itself became a machine - a machine for making money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/in-the-machine-age-the-company-itself-became-a-machine-a-machine-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [It's silly to have as one's sole object in life just making money, accumulating wealth. I work because I enjoy what I'm doing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/it-s-silly-to-have-as-one-s-sole-object-in-life-just-making-money/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [I'm loving life, making money doing what I love to do, making good money and living comfortably. I drive a corvette and live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-drake/i-m-loving-life-making-money-doing-what-i-love-to-do-making-good/) [Eli Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-drake/) [Browse all 1,765 Making money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I did not care for the things that most people care about– making money, having a comfortable home, high military or civil rank, and all the other activities, political appointments, secret societies, party organizations, which go on in our city . . . I set myself to do you– each one of you, individually and in private– what I hold to be the greatest possible service. 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