Quotes by
Plato |
Greek philosopher who was a student of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle and founder of the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He is one of the most dazzling writers in the Western literary tradition and one of the most penetrating, wide-ranging, and influential authors in the history of philosophy. He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy. Unlike nearly all of his philosophical contemporaries, Plato's entire work is believed to have survived intact. He is the founder of Western political philosophy, with his Republic, and Laws among other dialogues, providing some of the earliest extant treatments of political thinking.
| 38 quotes | 134,499 visits |
Quotations
| • | One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. 16 |
| • | For once touched by love, everyone becomes a poet. 10 |
Ancient Greek
| • | Man: one who reflects upon what he has seen. Άνθρωπος: ο αναθρών ά όπωπε. 47 |
| • | The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile. Το νικάν εαυτόν πασών νικών πρώτη και αρίστη. Το δε ηττάσθαι αυτόν υφ’ εαυτού, αίσχιστον και κάκιστον. 34 |
| • | Pleasure, a most mighty lure to evil. Ηδονήν, μέγιστον κακού δέλεαρ. 26 |
| • | The “right” is nothing more than what benefits the powerful. Το δίκαιον ουκ άλλο τι ή του κρείττονος ξυμφέρον. 25 |
| • | The beginning is half of everything. Αρχή ήμισυ παντός. 24 |
| • | I think death is nothing more than the separation of two things from one another: soul and body. Ο θάνατος τυγχάνει ων, ως εμοί δοκεί, ουδέν άλλο ή δυοίν πραγμάτοιν διάλυσις, της ψυχής και του σώματος απ’ αλλήλου. 21 |
| • | God is never, in no way unjust. Θεός ουδαμή ουδαμώς άδικος. 19 |
| • | It seems that excessive freedom leads to excessive enslavement. Η άγαν ελευθερία έοικε εις άγαν δουλείαν μεταβάλλειν. — Republic 18 |
| • | Nobody can escape destiny. Την ειμαρμένην ουδ’ αν είς εκφύγοι. 14 |
| • | God always geometrizes. Αεί ο θεός γεωμετρεί. 13 |
| • | One who thinks right is better than myriads who think wrong. Εις ευ φρονών μυρίων μη φρονούντων κρείττων εστί. 13 |
| • | The inner dialogue of the soul was named “intellect”. Ο εντός της ψυχής προς αυτήν διάλογος επωνομάσθη διάνοια. 11 |
| • | Three things support the perfection of a man: character, learning and practice. Εις τελειότητα του ανθρώπου τρία δει συνδράμειν: φύσιν, μάθησιν και άσκησιν. 10 |
| • | The madness of love is the greatest of the blessings of the gods. Επ᾽ ευτυχία τη μεγίστη παρά θεών η τοιαύτη μανία [ο έρως] δίδοται. 10 |
| • | The good man has no envy for anyone, neither fear nor anger or hatred. Αγαθώ περί ουδενός εγγίγνεται φθόνος ούτε φόβος ούτε οργή ή μίσος. 10 |
| • | I only wish that wisdom were the kind of thing that flowed … from the vessel that was full to the one that was empty. Eυ αν έχοι ... ει τοιούτον είη η σοφία ωστ᾽ εκ του πληρεστέρου εις το κενώτερον ρειν ημών… 10 |
| • | The very rich are not good. Ουκ εισίν οι παμπλούσιοι αγαθοί. 9 |
| • | Knowledge creates happiness. Επιστήμη ποιητική ευδαιμονίας. 8 |
| • | Slaves and master could never be friends. Δούλοι γαρ και δεσπότης ουκ αν ποτέ γένοιντο φίλοι. 8 |
| • | Homer has educated Greece. Όμηρος την Ελλάδα επεπαιδεύκει. 7 |
| • | Wisdom is the best of all things, ignorance is the worst. Σοφία πάντων κάλλιστον, η δε αμάθεια πάντων κάκιστον. 7 |
| • | Until the kings become philosophers, there will be no end to the troubles of the states. Εάν μη οι βασιλείς φιλοσοφήσουν, ουκ έστιν των δεινών παύλα. 6 |
| • | Praise is more sweet than all pleasures. Ηδονών ήδιον έπαινος. 5 |
| • | You Greeks are always children, and there is no Greek who is old. Έλληνες αεί παίδές εστε, γέρων δε Έλλην ουκ έστιν. (Egyptian priests to Solon) 4 |
| • | The holy is holy because it is loved by the gods, or it is loved by the gods because it is holy? Άρα το όσιον ότι όσιόν εστιν, φιλείται υπό των θεών, ή ότι φιλείται όσιόν εστιν. 3 |
| • | The responsibility lies with the one who chooses, the god is not the cause. Αιτία ελομένου θεός αναίτιος. 3 |
| • | All wars are made for the acquisition of assets. Δια την των χρημάτων κτήσιν πάντες οι πόλεμοι γίγνονται. 3 |
| • | A man with charαcter is the noblest of animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst. Άνθρωπος τελειωθείς βέλτιστον των ζώων, χωρισθέν δε νόμου και δίκης, χείριστον πάντων. 3 |
| • | The soul comes to Hades with nothing but its education and upbringing. Ουδέν άλλο έχουσα ες Άδου η ψυχή έρχεται πλην της παιδείας και τροφής. 1 |
| • | What is valuable is not to live for more, but to live well. Ου το ζην περί πλείστου ποιητέον, αλλά το ευ ζην. |
| • | The union of the soul and body is no better than their separation. Κοινωνία γαρ ψυχή και σώματι διαλύσεως ουκ έστιν η κρείττον. (here: union=birth, separation=death) |
| • | We should not care much about what the many say about us, but what the one who knows about right and wrong says. Ου πάνυ ημίν ούτω φροντιστέον τι ερούσιν οι πολλοί ημάς, αλλ’ ό,τι ο επαΐων περί των δικαίων και αδίκων. |
| • | The soul is divided into three parts: the rational, the desirous, and the emotional. Η ψυχή διαιρείται εις τρία: το μεν γαρ αυτής εστι λογιστικόν, το δε επιθυμητικόν, το δε θυμικόν. |
| • | There are four properties of the perfect virtue: wisdom, justice, courage, and prudence. Της τελείας αρετής είδη τέτταρα: έν μεν φρόνησις, έν δε δικαιοσύνη, άλλο δ’ ανδρεία, ταέταρτον σωφροσύνη. |
| • | One should not value living with many possessions, but living well. Ου το ζην περί πλείστου ποιητέον, αλλά το ευ ζην. |
| • | The one who loves becomes blind regarding the beloved. Τυφλούται ο φιλών περί το φιλούμενον. |
