Plato was one of the most famous philosophers of his times, i.e., more than 2000s years ago. He was born in Athens in the Classical period, between 429 and 423 BC. He is the founder of Platonism philosophy, western religion and spirituality, western political philosophy. He was an innovator of dialectic forms of philosophy. He is an important figure in the history of Ancient Greek. He also plays a vital role in western philosophy. He was a devout follower of Socrates and later became a teacher himself to Aristotle.
His most famous contribution is the Theory of Ideas or Theory of Forms, which is a philosophy about the true nature of the physical world. He died in 348/347 BC.
Some of the most famous Plato quotes are as follows.
Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.
Plato believes that as long as you are learning new things and improving your skills, it does not matter how much time you take. He says don't underestimate ones who are continuously trying and moving forward, for they will succeed someday in their life.
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.
He is mulling over the futility of rules. He says good people do not need rules to keep them on the correct path. They don't need constant reminders and an incentive to follow righteousness. It is in there nature to be just and morally right. On the other hand, a person who grew up to be immoral won't do the right thing just because society asks him to. He will find a way to circumvent the law.
Excellence is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act 'rightly' because we are 'excellent', in fact, we achieve 'excellence' by acting 'rightly.'
Excellence is not a talent that we are born with. It is developed through years of practice. We do not act rightly because we are born with excellence, but by doing right actions constantly, we eventually become excellent.
Everything that deceives may be said to enchant.
He means that do not think that bad deceitful things are odd-looking. In fact, all these things are especially attractive to look at. They are engaging so that you can easily fall for it.
I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.
To be the smartest man, you need to have curiosity and consistently feed it. You should think that there is a lot to learn and the knowledge you have is a minuscule of what remains to be learnt. Only with this kind of mindset, will you take actions to increase your knowledge. This continuous practice of always learning new things is what will make you the wisest man.
The measure of a man is what he does with power.
He believes the true character of a man is made known by how he handles power. If he uses power to do better for society, he is a man of values and wisdom. But if he lets his power go to waste by being a tyrant or a lazy leader who is only concerned with personal gains, he lacks the morality of a good man and ruler.
There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honour, and lovers of gain.
He says there are three types of men. First are the ones who desire only wisdom. The second type does everything so that they gain more honour in society. The third one is the ones who are only concerned with riches and power.
Ignorance, the root and stem of every evil.
Ignorance is the root cause of every evil. He believes that humans suffer when they are not aware of the truths of the universe. He might be referring to not just physical but also the metaphysical truths that can only be known through enlightenment. He also says, when talking about real evils that reside in the society, when people turn a blind eye to them, it also becomes stem, i.e., help in propagation and support of these evils.
I'm trying to think, don't confuse me with facts.
He is talking about finding your own voice and perspective. He says that sometimes other's opinion and even the accepted 'facts' of the time can restrict you from forming your own opinion. Even if something is widely accepted to be true by the world, doesn't mean one cannot try to verify it. We had seen in the past when people considered facts of sciences which today are well known to be wrong.
The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
He is talking about democracy and participating in the making of the government. If we remain indifferent to this process and do not actively participate in choosing a worthy leader, we will have to live under an evil, unjust government. We have to follow the rules made by these people, which can bring harm to our society in innumerable ways.
Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.
It is wrong to force education or any kind of learning on a child or for that matter, even an adult. You cannot make someone learn something by playing on his fear and subjecting him to harsh treatment. The correct way is to encourage them to follow their interest and curiosity. If they are beaten into learning, they will never develop love or interest in that subject. It is only through love for knowledge can a child really grow into becoming an adult who is keen on wisdom.
Some more quotes by Plato....
Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.
All our actions are driven by three things- our desire, emotions and knowledge. Whatever we do it is because we desire something or because our feelings influenced us to do so. Some of our actions are also caused by the knowledge we have about them.
Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
Beauty is not the nature of the object but rather that of the beholder. Beauty is a subjective concept that differs from person to person. One can find beauty in the strangest of place where the world would never expect to find.
Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.
Good actions fill us with lots of confidence. When we do something morally just like helping others, our self-esteem increases and we become more contented. Such actions also inspire others to do the same.
People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.
The growth of a plant depends on its soil. If the soil has all the minerals and moisture the plant will grow, perhaps into a beautiful tree one day. However, if the soil lacks any of the minerals, the growth of the plant will cease and eventually the plant will start to die. He says people's impact on our lives is similar to that of the soil's on a plant. If the people who surround us are quality people and have good values and are always positive and supportive of our work, we will grow. But if we spend too much time with people who are cynical and pessimist and envy or hate us, they will always try to put us down. Being with such people can greatly hamper our growth or distract us from our path.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.
We should always be kind to others, especially if we don't know much about them. Everyone has to deal with problems and difficulties when on the journey to their dreams. So, we should always be compassionate and understanding towards them.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Necessity or requirement forces people to innovate and introduce new inventions into the world.
The greatest wealth is to live content with little.
Our greatest wealth is not money or any other materialistic possession. Our greatest wealth is to have contentment. Because without content, all amount of riches seems less. When you are content with what you have, you are the richest person.
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
He says when a kid is afraid of the dark, i.e., all the evils in the world, it is because he doesn't know what is out there. However, when an adult refuses to acknowledge the true nature of evils that lurk all around him, that is condemning. When he refuses the truths and wisdom simply because it is hard to follow the path of enlightenment, that is the real tragedy.
Every heart sings a song, incomplete until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.
He believes that all of us are born to be with a soulmate. Only once we find them, are we truly complete. When we are with them, they ignite passion and creativity in us. In love, everyone becomes an artist- a poet. Before meeting our spiritual halves, we are incomplete; we have desires in our heart to love other person and be loved by them. But they are incomplete, unfulfilled until we find a person who holds the same desires. And only those who truly wish for such love will find it.
Conclusion
In this article, we have covered some of the best Plato quotes on Love, Life, Attitude and Family.
Co-author: Shreya Arya
A digital marketing enthusiast with experience in HR and hospital management, Shreya has wide interests ranging from philosophy, psychology to latest trends in automation. She is also a freelance content writer and loves lending beautiful words to ideas and feelings.
