I loved them all, but Socrates stands the tallest both amongst the ancients and current thinkers.  

Character is the only important thing we own and it is our responsibility to develop it.

The dream that has governed our western civilization is grounded in our Greek tradition.  We are the inheritors of a heritage that visualizes the individual striving to approximate the heroic deeds and wisdom of the gods and heroes.

This striving for wisdom is the most important trait we can hope to achieve in life. Socrates' life revolved around it.

It is unfortunate that only those who have faced the eternal problem can understand this appreciation in its most concrete sense. But once it's understood you'll realize that it's not the length of the life span that is important but the quality of how we spend the time allotted to us. Experiencing finiteness enables one to see with deeper insight and gain the ability to strip away the trivia and focus on the essentials. You also realize the veracity, depth and beauty of the wisdom of the sages -- those pearls of insight that have been handed down to us by the giants of our species. 

As I am writing, I cannot help but think of Socrates dialogue on the meaning of love in the “Symposium.”  To him Love was the motivating spring that compelled one to search for Truth and Beauty, and whatever treasures were found, to pass on to the next generation just as our fathers did with us.  Thus love is the binding passion that fuses the search for wisdom with the whole of humanity - you see yourself in a pinprick of flowing time that is in communion with all preceding generations and those yet to come.  And so it is the “dream” that really is important. 

In classical thought, the whole point of education was to grow in character and ultimately achieve wisdom. How unfortunate that contemporary education has not only lost its main purpose, but does considerable harm by impeding it. My wrath against contemporary "liberalism" to a large degree stems from their active destruction of what little character we still may have.

Ahh!  How dull life would be without dreams.  Even if we fail at least you know you were fully alive.  After all is said and done, it’s the dream that makes life worthwhile…achievement is like icing on the cake, but without dreams there would be no cake to ice.

It is the noble that embodies wisdom and whatever achievements flow from him are kept in their proper perspective in his overall life. He doesn't bask in the accolades he may receive for his efforts, but is attentive only to truth and its illuminating qualities. 

We are both aware how impoverished our times are from those values that nurture nobility. We only have our wits to guide us and it's so easy to lose our way by the seductive fallacies of our weakening cultural values.  The only antidote to these warping influences is supporting our wits for the "good life" by understanding the essential principles handed to us by the wisest men in all ages. I pray that you and your siblings retain those traits that make some of our species into such grand human beings.

Email to his sons: You must listen to this piece, about halfway through Joan Sutherland’s voice will tear at your heart. It’s absolutely beautiful. - Dad