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 poverty citizens
There should exist among the citizens neither extreme poverty nor again excessive wealth, for both are productive of great evil.
leadership children humorous
Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.
optimism age pressure
He who is of a calm and happy nature, will hardly feel the pressure of age
song philosophical heart
Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back.
political unity splits
Is there anything worse for a state than to be split and disunited? or anything better than cohesion and unity?
confused inspiration mean
Man's music is seen as a means of restoring the soul, as well as confused and discordant bodily afflictions, to the harmonic proportions that it shares with the world soul of the cosmos.
cash standards makers
Money-makers are tiresome company, as they have no standard but cash value.
law democracy letters
The laws of democracy remain a dead letter, its freedom is anarchy, its equality the equality of unequals
spiritual country dark
The souls of people, on their way to Earth-life, pass through a room full of lights; each takes a taper - often only a spark - to guide it in the dim country of this world. But some souls, by rare fortune, are detained longer - have time to grasp a handful of tapers, which they weave into a torch. These are the torch-bearers of humanity - its poets, seers and saints, who lead and lift the race out of darkness, toward the light. They are the law-givers and saviors, the light-bringers, way-showers and truth-tellers, and without them, humanity would lose its way in the dark.
plato greatness becoming-great
Those who intend on becoming great should love neither themselves or their own things, but only what is just, whether it happens to be done by themselves or others.
philosophy political should
...there are some who are naturally fitted for philosophy and political leadership, while the rest should follow their lead and let philosophy alone.
plato laughter excess
A fit of laughter, which has been indulged to excess, almost always produces a violent reaction.
attitude responsibility law
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.
plato excellence littles
Better a little which is well done, than a great deal imperfectly.