Welcome to the Daily Quote, the podcast designed to kickstart your day in a positive way. I'm your host, Andrew McGivern, and this episode is brought to you by the Great News podcast. Because great news should be heard, and the link is right here in the show notes.
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Today’s quote is from Socrates:
Socrates was a an ancient Greek philosopher widely regarded as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He taught by asking probing questions that challenged assumptions and encouraged people to examine their beliefs and reasoning.
This quote is widely attributed to Socrates based on his questioning method of teaching.The closest ancient parallel is Socrates’ “midwife” image in Plato’s Theaetetus (150c–d), where he says he helps others bring forth and examine their own ideas rather than supplying wisdom himself. Plato’s Apology also has Socrates deny that he teaches in the conventional sense.
Socrates once said:
”I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”
This quote highlights the difference between telling someone and helping them learn on their own. You can tell someone the answer but that doesn’t mean they will really get it.
Sometimes asking questions that lead them to come up with the answer on their own is the best strategy. Real learning happens when people engage with an idea, question it and connect it to their own life experience.
Sometimes the the best teacher doesn’t have the best answers but rather the best questions.
Socrates was famous for asking questions that challenged assumptions. Instead of telling people they were wrong, he would question their reasoning and encourage them to examine what they believe.
The harder someone tries to convince us of something, the more likely we are to be determined to defend our original position. Being told what to believe triggers resistance. This concept applies to parenting, leadership, relationships, and even conversations about politics or beliefs.
The next level version of this is to question your own beliefs without being prompted by someone else. It can be easy to live on cruise control and continue with the beliefs and ideas we inherited from family, society, education, religion or our own past experiences. But what if you pause and examine those beliefs?
Many of the breakthroughs in human progress have happened when someone questioned a widely accepted explanation or asked whether there might be a better way.
So here’s the question:
What belief have you held for years that you’ve never stopped to question?
Is the belief limiting you in any way? If it is… maybe it is time for a new one.
That’s going to do it for today. I’m Andrew McGivern signing off for now, but I’ll be back… tomorrow! Same pod time, same pod station with another Daily Quote.
