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
philosophical giving gold
All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue.
bait sin pleasure
Pleasure is the bait of sin
spring helping-others helping
Happiness springs from doing good and helping others.
death night men
Either death is a state of nothingness and utter consciousness, or, as men say, there is a change and migration of the soul from this world to another. Now if death be of such a nature, I say that to die is to gain; for eternity is then only a single night.
confused twilight eye
When the mind's eye rests on objects illuminated by truth and reality, it understands and comprehends them, and functions intelligently; but when it turns to the twilight world of change and decay, it can only form opinions, its vision is confused and its beliefs shifting, and it seems to lack intelligence.
victory development-and-growth personal-growth
To conquer oneself is the best and noblest victory; to be vanquished by one's own nature is the worst and most ignoble defeat.
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.
eye light soul
The power to learn is present in everyone's soul, and the instrument with which each learns is like an eye that cannot be turned around from darkness to light without turning the whole body.
fighting battle be-kind
Be kind. Every person you meet is fighting a difficult battle.
fall men soldier
Let every man remind their descendants that they also are soldiers who must not desert the ranks of their ancestors, or from cowardice fall behind.
play community citizens
Each citizen should play his part in the community according to his individual gifts.
should-have judging long
The judge should not be young, he should have learned to know evil, not from his own soul, but from late and long observation of the nature of evil in others.
hands people words-of-wisdom
We are like people looking for something they have in their hands all the time; we're looking in all directions except at the thing we want, which is probably why we haven't found it.
depression class construction
Our object in the construction of the state is the greatest happiness of the whole, and not that of any one class.