Philosophy Quote by Plato — Inspiring Words on Life, Love & Wisdom

“Piety, then, is that which is dear to the gods, and impiety is that which is not dear to them.”

“Knowledge becomes evil if the aim be not virtuous.”

“The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily. This is the man of moderation, the man of manly character and of wisdom.”

“[Dialogue between Solon and an Egyptian Priest]”

“Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.”

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”

“It is the thought, not the incidentals of expression, that essentially makes an exposition unpopular. A systematic ribbon and button maker can become unpopular but essentially is not at all, inasmuch as he does not mean much by the very odd things he says (alas, and this is a popular art!). Socrates, on the other hand, was the most unpopular in Greece because he said the same thing as the simplest person but meant infinitely much by it. To be able to stick to one thing, to stick to it with ethical passion and undauntedness of spirit, to see the intrinsic duplexity of this one thought with the same impartiality, and at one and the same time to see the most profound earnestness and the greatest jest, the deepest tragedy and highest comedy―this is unpopular in any age for anyone who has not realized that immediacy is over. But neither can what is essentially unpopular be learned by rote. More on that later.”

“Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.”

“Ohne Hast, aber ohne Rast. - Without haste, but without rest.”

“Dad was a philosopher and had what he called his Theory of Purpose, which held that everything in life had a purpose, and unless it achieved that purpose, it was just taking up space on the planet and wasting everybody's time.”