Plato Quotes

365 Sourced Quotes

Men of sound sense have Law for their god, but men without sense Pleasure.

Plato
That which is apprehended by intelligence and reason is always in the same state; but that which is conceived by opinion with the help of sensation and without reason, is always in a process of becoming and perishing and never really is.

Plato
Most people affirm pleasure to be the good, but the finer sort of wits say it is knowledge.

Plato
Violent pleasures which reach the soul through the body are generally of this sort-they are reliefs of pain.

Plato
He who advises a sick man, whose manner of life is prejudicial to health, is clearly bound first of all to change his patient's manner of life.

Plato
When a beautiful soul harmonizes with a beautiful form, and the two are cast in one mould, that will be the fairest of sights to him who has the eye to contemplate the vision.

Plato
For this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves.

Plato
No one is so cowardly that Love could not inspire him to heroism.

Plato
There should exist among the citizens neither extreme poverty nor again excessive wealth, for both are productive of great evil.

Plato
The wisest of you men is he who has realized, like Socrates, that in respect of wisdom he is really worthless.

Plato
They ought to be gentle to their friends and dangerous to their enemies.

Plato
All the gold upon the earth and all the gold beneath it, does not compensate for lack of virtue.

Plato
The prison of lust is just that very one of which the soul shuts the doors upon herself; for each act of indulgence is the shooting of a fresh bolt.

Plato
The love of the gods belongs to anyone who has given to true virtue and nourished it, and if any human being could become immortal, it would be he.

Plato
As to the artists, do we not know that he only of them whom love inspires has the light of fame?-he whom love touches not walks in darkness.

Plato
Even the good artisans fell into the same error as the poets; because they were good workmen they thought that they also knew all sorts of high matters, and this defect in them overshadowed their wisdom.

Plato
Where reverence is, there is fear; for he who has a feeling of reverence and shame about the commission of any action, fears and is afraid of an ill reputation.

Plato
In the world of knowledge, the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with effort.

Plato
Prefer diligence before idleness, unless you esteem rust above brightness.

Plato
When I hear a man discoursing of virtue, or of any sort of wisdom, who is a true man and worthy of his theme, I am delighted beyond measure: and I compare the man and his words, and note the harmony and correspondence of them. And such an one I deem to be the true musician, having in himself a fairer harmony than that of the lyre.

Plato
Consider how great is the encouragement which all the world gives to the lover; neither is he supposed to be doing anything dishonourable; but if he succeeds he is praised, and if he fail he is blamed.

Plato
He who has not contemplated the mind of nature which is said to exist in the stars, and gone through the previous training, and seen the connection of music with these things, and harmonized them all with laws and institutions, is not able to give a reason of such things as have a reason.

Plato
SOC: And all arithmetic and calculations have to do with number?
GLAUCON: Yes.
SOC: And they appear to lead the mind towards truth?
GLAUCON: Yes, in a very remarkable manner.

Plato
I do believe that there are gods, and in a far higher sense than that in which any of my accusers believe in them.

Plato
Every soul pursues the good and does whatever it does for its sake.

Plato
Are these things good for any other reason except that they end in pleasure, and get rid of and avert pain? Are you looking to any other standard but pleasure and pain when you call them good?

Plato
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.

Plato
The soul of him who has education is whole and perfect and escapes the worst disease, but, if a man's education be neglected, he walks lamely through life and returns good for nothing to the world below.

Plato
If it is naturally in you to be a good orator, a notable orator you will be when you have acquired knowledge and practice.

Plato
I call upon God, and beg him to be our savior out of a strange and unwanted enquiry, and to bring us to the heaven of probability.

Plato