Plato Quotes

365 Sourced Quotes

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

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

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
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
The fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown.

Plato
To honor with hymns and panegyrics those who are still alive is not safe; a man should run his course and make a fair ending, and then we will praise him; and let praise be given equally to women as well as men who have been distinguished in virtue.

Plato
Those who practice philosophy in the right way are in training for dying and they fear death least of all men.

Plato
The makers of fortunes have a second love of money as a creation of their own, resembling the affection of authors for their own poems, or of parents for their children, besides that natural love of it for the sake of use and profit.

Plato
Can we deny that a warrior should have a knowledge of arithmetic?

Plato
If we are ever to have pure knowledge of anything, we must get rid of the body and contemplate things by themselves with the soul by itself.

Plato
Being well satisfied that, for a man who thinks himself to be somebody, there is nothing more disgraceful than to hold himself up as honored, not on his own account, but for the sake of his forefathers. Yet hereditary honors are a noble and splendid treasure to descendants.

Plato
It is fear and terror that make all men brave, except the philosophers. Yet it is illogical to be brave through fear and cowardice.

Plato
If we are to keep our flock at the highest pitch of excellence, there should be as many unions of the best of both sexes, and as few of the inferior as possible, and that only the offspring of the better unions should be kept.

Plato
No man's nature is able to know what is best for the social state of man; or, knowing, always able to do what is best.

Plato
Love' is the name for our pursuit of wholeness, for our desire to be complete.

Plato
There are some whom the applause of the multitude has deluded into the belief that they are really statesmen.

Plato
The productions of all arts are kinds of poetry and their craftsmen are all poets.

Plato
Freedom in a democracy is the glory of the state, and, therefore, in a democracy only will the freeman of nature deign to dwell.

Plato
Other people are likely not to be aware that those who pursue philosophy aright study nothing but dying and being dead. Now if this is true, it would be absurd to be eager for nothing but this all their lives, and then to be troubled when that came for which they had all along been eagerly practicing.

Plato
He who is gracious to his lover under the impression that he is rich, and is disappointed of his gains because he turns out to be poor, is disgraced all the same: for he has done his best to show that he would give himself up to any one's "uses base" for the sake of money; but this is not honourable.

Plato
The bees can abide no drones amongst them; but as soon as they begin to be idle, they kill them.

Plato
SOC:."And so, Gorgias, you call arithmetic rhetoric." But I do not think that you really call arithmetic rhetoric any more than geometry would be so called by you.

Plato
The true champion of justice, if he intends to survive even for a short time, must necessarily confine himself to private life and leave politics alone.

Plato