We ought to inquire what kind of a soul it was that Socrates possessed, and if he was able to be content with being just towards men and pious towards the gods, neither idly vexed on account of men's villainy, nor yet making himself a slave to any man's ignorance. Marcus Aurelius. Meditations. Book 7.
Image: A rather medieval-looking painting of Socrates' wife Xanthippe, pouring a chamber pot over his head entitled Socrates, his Wives and Alcibiades, by Reyer van Blommendael courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Plato's portrayal of Xanthippe in the Phaedo suggests that she was actually a devoted wife and mother but in Xenophon's Symposium, Socrates admits she is "the hardest to get along with of all the women there are." Nevertheless, Socrates adds that he chose her precisely because of her argumentative spirit:
It is the example of the rider who wishes to become an expert horseman: "None of your soft-mouthed, docile animals for me," he says; "the horse for me to own must show some spirit" in the belief, no doubt, if he can manage such an animal, it will be easy enough to deal with every other horse besides. And that is just my case. I wish to deal with human beings, to associate with man in general - hence my choice of wife. I know full well, if I can tolerate her spirit, I can with ease attach myself to every human being else."
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