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Famous Plato Quotes

“The cause of all the blunders committed by man arises from this excessive self-love. For the lover is blinded by the object loved; so that he passes a wrong judgment on what is just, good and beautiful, thinking that he ought always to honor what belongs to himself in preference to truth. For he who intends to be a great man ought to love neither himself nor his own things, but only what is just, whether it happens to be done by himself, or by another.”

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Author:Plato
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“Misanthropy ariseth from a man trusting another without having sufficient knowledge of his character, and, thinking him to be truthful, sincere, and honourable, finds a little afterwards that he is wicked, faithless, and then he meets with another of the same character. When a man experiences this often, and more particularly from those whom he considered his most dear and best friends, at last, having frequently made a slip, he hates the whole world, and thinks that there is nothing sound at all in any of them.”

ThinkingMenWorldLittlesMadeWholeCharacterLastsHateSoundDearWhole WorldSufficientWickedSincereSlipsTruthfulBeing TruthfulMisanthropyFaithless
Author:Plato
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“There is also a third kind of madness, which is possession by the Muses, enters into a delicate and virgin soul, and there inspiring frenzy, awakens lyric... But he, who, not being inspired and having no touch of madness in his soul, comes to the door and thinks he will get into the temple by the help of art - he, I say, and his poetry are not admitted; the sane man is nowhere at all when he enters into rivalry with the madman.”

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Author:Plato
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“You are mistaken, my friend, if you think that a man who is worth anything ought to spend his time weighing up the prospects of life and death. He has only one thing to consider in performing any action - that is, whether he is acting rightly or wrongly, like a good man or a bad one.”

IfsThinkingMenActionActingOne ThingOughtMy FriendsPerformingLife And DeathGood ManMistakenProspectsWeighing
Book:The Collected Dialogues of Plato: Including The Letters
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“I was stupid enough to think that we ought to speak the truth about each person eulogised, and to make this the foundation, and from these truths to choose the most beautiful things and arrange them in the most elegant way; and I was quite proud to think how well I should speak, because I believed that I knew the truth.”

ThinkingWayShouldWellsPersonsEnoughBeautifulSpeakStupidOughtProudFoundationBeautiful ThingsElegantSpeak The TruthI Was Stupid
Book:Great dialogues of Plato
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“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.”

ThinkingMenEducationTeachTeacherTeachingFutureDetermineAppreciationEducationalGraduationExamEducation And TeachersGreek PhilosopherGreat EducationalTeaching And EducationTeachers And TeachingTeaching EducationFuture LifeInspirational TeacherFormal EducationTeacher AppreciationThank You AppreciationAmerican EducationInspiring EducationImportance Of EducationThanking TeachersRelated To EducationThank You TeacherInspiring EducationalLife DirectionEducation In AmericaTeacher Appreciation DayFunny ExamFuture Direction
Book:Education: Ends and Means
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“That makes me think, my friend, as I have often done before, how natural it is that those who have spent a long time in the study of philosophy appear ridiculous when they enter the courts of law as speakers. Those who have knocked about in courts and the like from their youth up seem to me, when compared with those who have been brought up in philosophy and similar pursuits, to be as slaves in breeding compared with freemen.”

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Book:Theaetetus, Sophist
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“My good friend, you are a citizen of Athens, a city which is very great and very famous for its wisdom and power - are you not ashamed of caring so much for the making of money and for fame and prestige, when you neither think nor care about wisdom and truth and the improvement of your soul?”

ThinkingSoulCareCitiesCitizensFamePhilosophicalCaringImprovementYour SoulAshamedGood FriendWise Man Once SaidPrestigeSelf TransformationAthensGreek PhilosopherContinuous ImprovementBeautiful SoulVery FamousAlways Room For Improvement
Book:Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito, and the Death Scene from Phaedo
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“Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophise, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils,... nor, I think, will the human race.”

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Book:The Philosophy Collection [97 Books]
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“... our purpose in founding our state was not to promote the happiness of a single class, but, so far as possible, of the whole community. Our idea was that we were most likely to justice in such a community, and so be able to decide the question we are trying to answer. We are therefore at the moment trying to construct what we think is a happy community by securing the happiness not of a select minority, but of a whole.”

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Author:Plato
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“What the expression is intended to mean, I think, is that there is a better and a worse element in the character of each individual, and that when the naturally better element controls the worse then the man is said to be "master of himself", as a term of praise. But when - as a result of bad upbringing or bad company one s better element is overpowered by the numerical superiority of one s worse impulses, then one is criticized for not being master of oneself and for lack of self control.”

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Author:Plato
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“The true lover of learning then must his earliest youth, as far as in him lies, desire all truth.... He whose desires are drawn toward knowledge in every form will be absorbed in the pleasures of the soul, and will hardly feel bodily pleasures I mean, if he be a true philosopher and not a sham one ... Then how can he who has the magnificence of mind and is the spectator of all times and all existence, think much of human life He cannot. Or can such a one account death fearful No indeed.”

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Author:Plato
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“I don't know anything that gives me greater pleasure, or profit either, than talking or listening to philosophy. But when it comes to ordinary conversation, such as the stuff you talk about financiers and the money market, well, I find it pretty tiresome personally, and I feel sorry that my friends should think they're being very busy when they're really doing absolutely nothing. Of course, I know your idea of me: you think I'm just a poor unfortunate, and I shouldn't wonder if your right. But then I dont THINK that you're unfortunate - I know you are.”

IfsThinkingKnowsGivingFeelsShouldWellsIdeasPhilosophyCoursesStuffPleasurePoorTalkingWonderGreaterListeningWords Of WisdomConversationOrdinaryMy FriendsGive MeSorryBusyProfitUnfortunateAbsolutely NothingTiresomeFinanciers
Book:Plato - Dialogues
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“But this is not difficult, O Athenians! to escape death; but it is much more difficult to avoid depravity, for it runs swifter than death. And now I, being slow and aged, am overtaken by the slower of the two; but my accusers, being strong and active, have been overtaken by the swifter, wickedness. And now I depart, condemned by you to death; but they condemned by truth, as guilty of iniquity and injustice: and I abide my sentence, and so do they. These things, perhaps, ought so to be, and I think that they are for the best.”

ThinkingHas BeensTwoRunningStrongDifficultOughtInjusticeActiveSentencesGuiltyWickednessDepravityIniquityAccusersAthenians
Book:Apology, Crito and Phaedo of Socrates
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