That fact that Athens could condemn its noblest citizen to death did more than make a profound impression on him. It was to shape the course of his entire philosophic endeavor.
Jostein Gaarder(As human beings) We see everything everything in a glass, darkly. Sometimes we can peer through the glass and catch a glimpse of what is on the other side. If we were to polish the glass clean, we'd see much more. But then we would no longer see ourselves.
Jostein GaarderWhat Plato was really asking was perhaps why a horse was a horse, and not, for example, a cross between a horse and a pig.
Jostein GaarderActing responsibly is not a matter of strengthening our reason but of deepening our feelings for the welfare of others.
Jostein GaarderSocrates, whose mother was a midwife, used to say that his art was like the art of the midwife. She does not herself give birth to the child, but she is there to help during its delivery. Similarly, Socrates saw his task as helping people to 'give birth' to correct insight, since real understanding must come from within. . . . Everybody can grasp philosophical truths if they just use their innate reason.
Jostein Gaarder