Plato
Plato
Platowas a philosopher in Classical Greece and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition. Unlike nearly all of his philosophical contemporaries, Plato's entire œuvre is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPhilosopher
evil noble return
It is not noble to return evil for evil, at no time ought we to do an injury to our neighbors.
errors soul body
You ought not to heal the body without the soul, for this is the great error of our day in treating the human body.
death men excellence
Such, Echecrates, was the end of our comrade, who was, we may fairly say, of all those whom we knew in our time, the bravest and also the wisest and most upright man.
death real knowing
The fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown.
death men hours
I am about to die, and that is the hour in which men are gifted with prophetic power.
faithful praise given
That is very high praise, which is given you by faithful witness.
philosophical unrest politics
Until philosophers hold power, neither states nor individuals will have rest from trouble.
truth essence generations
What essence is to generation, that truth is to belief.
truth thinking asks
All I would ask you to be thinking of is the truth and not Socrates.
friendship enemy dangerous
They ought to be gentle to their friends and dangerous to their enemies.
beauty beautiful causality
It seems to me that whatever else is beautiful apart from asbsolute beauty is beautiful because it partakes of that absolute beauty, and for no other reason. Do you accept this kind of causality?
horse soul unions
The soul is like a pair of winged horses and a charioteer joined in natural union.
character wit
[The Cretans have] more wit than words.
plato philosophy thinking
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.