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
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.
plato lasts all-things
Must not all things at the last be swallowed up in death?
plato democracy equal
These, then, will be some of the features of democracy... it will be, in all likelihood, an agreeable, lawless, parti-colored commonwealth, dealing with all alike on a footing of equality, whether they be really equal or not.
beautiful mean men
The three wishes of every man: to be healthy, to be rich by honest means, and to be beautiful.
plato passion profound
In particular I may mention Sophocles the poet, who was once asked in my presence, How do you feel about love, Sophocles? are you still capable of it? to which he replied, Hush! if you please: to my great delight I have escaped from it, and feel as if I had escaped from a frantic and savage master. I thought then, as I do now, that he spoke wisely. For unquestionably old age brings us profound repose and freedom from this and other passions.
justice evil injustice
To do injustice is the greatest of all evils.
education mind may
And may we not say, Adeimantus, that the most gifted minds, when they are ill- educated, become the worst?
art wine learning
To begin with the wine jar in learning the potter's art.