Plato Quotes

The souls of people, on their way to Earth-life, pass through a room full of lights; each takes a taper - often only a spark - to guide it in the dim country of this world. But some souls, by rare fortune, are detained longer - have time to grasp a handful of tapers, which they weave into a torch. These are the torch-bearers of humanity - its poets, seers and saints, who lead and lift the race out of darkness, toward the light. They are the law-givers and saviors, the light-bringers, way-showers and truth-tellers, and without them, humanity would lose its way in the dark.

Every serious man in dealing with really serious subjects carefully avoids writing. ... There does not exist, nor will there ever exist, any writing of mine dealing with this subject.

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being

May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me.

It is our duty to select the best and most dependable theory that human intelligence can supply, and use it as a raft to ride the seas of life.

In order to be a good soldier it is necessary to know how to dance.

Hardly any human being is capable of pursuing two professions or two arts rightly.

Nothing is more unworthy of a wise man, or ought to trouble him more, than to have allowed more time for trifling, and useless things, than they deserve.

Thus does the Muse herself move men divinely inspired, and through them thus inspired a Chain hangs together of others inspired divinely likewise.

I know nothing more worthy of a man's ambition than that his son be the best of men.

Avoid compulsion and let early education be a matter of amusement. Young children learn by games; compulsory education cannot remain in the soul.

When a person supposes that he knows, and does not know; this appears to be the great source of all the errors of the intellect.

You need some knowledge to recognize knowledge, so where does the first knowledge come from?

The honour of parents is a fair and noble treasure to their posterity, but to have the use of a treasure of wealth and honour, and to leave none to your successors, because you have neither money nor reputation of your own, is alike base and dishonourable.

Wherever it has been established that it is shameful to be involved with sexual relationships with men, that is due to evil on the part of the rulers, and to cowardice on the part of the governed.

When the mind's eye rests on objects illuminated by truth and reality, it understands and comprehends them, and functions intelligently; but when it turns to the twilight world of change and decay, it can only form opinions, its vision is confused and its beliefs shifting, and it seems to lack intelligence.

And isn't it a bad thing to be deceived about the truth, and a good thing to know what the truth is? For I assume that by knowing the truth you mean knowing things as they really are.

To think truly is noble and to be deceived is base.

Madness comes from God, whereas sober sense is merely human.

The most beautiful motion is that which accomplishes the greatest results with the least amount of effort.

Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds.

The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroad; they may be allowed to lie for the good of the state.

Philosophy is an elegant thing, if anyone modestly meddles with it; but if they are conversant with it more than is becoming, it corrupts them.

Let no-one ignorant of geometry enter. Said to have been inscribed above the door of Plato's Academy.

They assembled together and dedicated these as the first-fruits of their love to Apollo in his Delphic temple, inscribing there those maxims which are on every tongue- 'know thyselP and 'Nothing overmuch.'

No one knows whether death may not be the greatest good that can happen to man.

Remember our words, then, and whatever is your aim let virtue be the condition of the attainment of your aim, and know that without this all possessions and pursuits are dishonourable and evil.

The gods' service is tolerable, man's intolerable.

Twice and thrice over, as they say, good is it to repeat and review what is good.

...for the object of education is to teach us to love beauty.

Music is that which takes silence and brings it to life.

But that we shall be better and braver and less helpless if we think that we ought to enquire, than we should have been if we indulged in the idle fancy that there was no knowing and no use in seeking to know what we do not know; - that is a theme upon which I am ready to fight, in word and deed, to the utmost of my power.

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

I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.

Romantic Art: The Hearts Awakening - Bouguereau At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.

If one has made a mistake, and fails to correct it, one has made a greater mistake.

Watch a man at play for an hour and you can learn more about him than in talking to him for a year.

And we have made of ourselves living cesspools, and driven doctors to invent names for our diseases.

Let praise be given equally to women as well as men who have been distinguished in virtue.

... the good are not willing to rule either for the sake of money or of honor.

For a poet is an airy thing, winged and holy, and he is not able to make poetry until he becomes inspired and goes out of his mind and his intellect is no longer in him.

All men, well interrogated, answer well.

[The Cretans have] more wit than words.

No town can live peacefully whatever its laws when its citizens do nothing but feast and drink and tire themselves out in the cares of love

Poets do not compose their poems with knowledge, but by some inborn talent and by inspiration, like seers and prophets who also say many fine things without any understanding of what they say.

The love, more especially, which is concerned with the good, and which is perfected in company with temperance and justice, whether among gods or men, has the greatest power, and is the source of all our happiness and harmony, and makes us friends with the gods who are above us, and with one another.

Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.

The purpose of education is to give to the body and to the soul all the beauty and all the perfection of which they are capable.