And all knowledge, when separated from justice and virtue, is seen to be cunning and not wisdom; wherefore make this your first and last and constant and all-absorbing aim, to exceed, if possible, not only us but all your ancestors in virtue; and know that to excel you in virtue only brings us shame, but that to be excelled by you is a source of happiness to us.

The three wishes of every man: to be healthy, to be rich by honest means, and to be beautiful.

No one ever teaches well who wants to teach, or governs well who wants to govern.

Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.

To prefer evil to good is not in human nature; and when a man is compelled to choose one of two evils, no one will choose the greater when he might have the less.

When the citizens of a society can see and hear their leaders, then that society should be seen as one.

An hour of play is worth a lifetime of conversation.