Plato Quotes

Plato was a renowned ancient Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE.

His ideas and teachings have had a significant influence on Western philosophy and thought, and many of his quotes are still widely studied and admired today.

Some of the key characteristics of Plato’s quotes include:

  • Intellectual depth: Plato was known for his profound intellect, and his quotes often reflect this quality. They are insightful, thought-provoking, and encourage readers to engage with complex ideas.
  • Focus on virtue and morality: Plato believed that the pursuit of virtue and morality was essential for leading a fulfilling life. Many of his quotes reflect this emphasis on ethical behavior and the importance of living in accordance with one’s values.
  • Socratic method: Plato was a student of Socrates, and his quotes often reflect the Socratic method of inquiry. This involves asking questions to encourage critical thinking and self-reflection.
  • Idealism: Plato’s philosophy was deeply influenced by his belief in ideal forms and concepts. Many of his quotes reflect this idealistic worldview, emphasizing the importance of abstract concepts like truth, beauty, and justice.
  • Literary quality: Plato was also a skilled writer and storyteller, and his quotes often have a literary quality to them. They are poetic, engaging, and use vivid imagery to convey complex ideas.

Overall, Plato’s quotes are known for their intellectual depth, moral focus, and idealistic worldview, as well as their literary quality and use of the Socratic method.

We have many to look at in this article.

Plato Quotes

Here are various quotes by Plato, one of the most influential philosophers in Western thought:

  1. “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”
  2. “Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
  3. “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
  4. “At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”
  5. “Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.”
  6. “The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself.”
  7. “Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil.”
  8. “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”
  9. “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”
  10. “Ideas are the source of all things.”
  11. “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
  12. “The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.”
  13. “The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself.”
  14. “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.”
  15. “Knowledge, which is acquired under compulsion, obtains no hold on the mind.”
  16. “Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
  17. “Better a little which is well done, than a great deal imperfectly.”
  18. “We do not learn; and what we call learning is only a process of recollection.”
  19. “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”
  20. “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
  21. “Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil.”
  22. “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”
  23. “The soul takes nothing with her to the next world but her education and her culture. At the beginning of the journey to the next world, one’s education and culture can either provide the greatest assistance or else act as the greatest burden, to the person who has just died.”
  24. “Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.”
  25. “We are twice armed if we fight with faith.”
  26. “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
  27. “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
  28. “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.”
  29. “No one knows whether death may not even turn out to be the greatest blessings of human beings.”
  30. “A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.”
  31. “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.”
  32. “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
  33. “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
  34. “All learning has an emotional base.”
  35. “There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.”
  36. “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”
  37. “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”
  38. “Opinions is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.”
  39. “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
  40. “At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”
  41. “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life.”
  42. “An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”
  43. “The greatest wealth is to live content with little.”
  44. “Wealth is the parent of luxury and indolence, and poverty of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent.”
  45. “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.”
  46. “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”
  47. “Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil.”
  48. “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
  49. “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
  50. “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
  51. “We do not learn; and what we call learning is only a process of recollection.”
  52. “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
  53. “Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
  54. “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
  55. “There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot.”
  56. “There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain.”
  57. “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”
  58. “Democracy…is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder; and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike.”
  59. “The good of society is to be sought in what preserves the dignity, independence and freedom of man. “
  60. “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.”
  61. “Excess generally causes reaction, and produces a change in the opposite direction, whether it be in the seasons, or in individuals, or in governments.”
  62. “Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”
  63. “The madness of love is the greatest of heaven’s blessings.”
  64. “The philosopher is in love with truth, that is, not with the changing world of sensation, which is the object of opinion, but with the unchanging reality which is the object of knowledge.”
  65. “The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful.”
  66. “Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
  67. “No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.”
  68. “What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.”
  69. “The most important part of education is proper training in the nursery.”
  70. “The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.”
  71. “Ideas are the source of all things.”
  72. “Philosophy is the highest music.”
  73. “To do injustice is more disgraceful than to suffer it.”
  74. “He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it.”
  75. “For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.”
  76. “If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.”
  77. “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”
  78. “The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful.”
  79. “You cannot conceive the many without the one.”
  80. “No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nature and education.”
  81. “He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it.”
  82. “The philosopher is in love with truth, that is, not with the changing world of sensation, which is the object of opinion, but with the unchanging reality which is the object of knowledge.”
  83. “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
  84. “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
  85. “Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.”

Conclusion – Plato Quotes

Plato’s quotes are characterized by their profound intellectual depth, emphasis on virtue and morality, use of the Socratic method, idealistic worldview, and literary quality.

As one of the most influential philosophers in Western thought, Plato’s ideas continue to be studied and admired today, and his quotes offer valuable insights into ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology.

Whether exploring the nature of reality or reflecting on the importance of living a virtuous life, Plato’s quotes remain relevant and thought-provoking, inspiring readers to engage with complex ideas and strive for a better understanding of the world around them.

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