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Plato

97 quotes

Plato (circa 428–348 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. A student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, Plato's dialogues exploring justice, beauty, equality, and knowledge have shaped Western thought for over two millennia.

“Wisdom alone is the science of other sciences.”

— Plato

Alone

All Quotes by Plato

“Must not all things at the last be swallowed up in death?”

— Plato

Death

“I would fain grow old learning many things.”

— Plato

Learning

“Know one knows whether death, which people fear to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good.”

— Plato

Death

“There are three classes of men lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain.”

— Plato

Men

“The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant.”

— Plato

Knowledge

“Science is nothing but perception.”

— Plato

Science

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

— Plato

Knowledge

“Our object in the construction of the state is the greatest happiness of the whole, and not that of any one class.”

— Plato

Happiness

“Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.”

— Plato

Knowledge

“Love is a serious mental disease.”

— Plato

Love

“States are as the men, they grow out of human characters.”

— Plato

Men

“Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.”

— Plato

Parenting

“Injustice is censured because the censures are afraid of suffering, and not from any fear which they have of doing injustice.”

— Plato

Fear

“We ought to fly away from earth to heaven as quickly as we can and to fly away is to become like God, as far as this is possible and to become like him is to become holy, just, and wise.”

— Plato

God

“No one is a friend to his friend who does not love in return.”

— Plato

Love

“Wisdom alone is the science of other sciences.”

— Plato

Alone

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

— Plato

Politics

“Death is not the worst that can happen to men.”

— Plato

Death

“Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.”

— Plato

Knowledge

“Truth is the beginning of every good to the gods, and of every good to man.”

— Plato

Good