70 Must-Read Plato Quotes (Education, Justice, Philosophy)

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

Best Quotes – Education – Justice – Politics – Philosophy – Takeaways – Sources

Here are 70 must-read Plato quotes I’ve collected.

And you’ll be fascinated by the topics:

education
justice
politics
philosophy
life

Plato is one of the first philosophers I’ve discovered back in 2004.

I remember the first time I read his quote “be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle” as I was struggling with the loss of my girlfriend.

(I then discovered it was misattributed☹️)

What will you learn from Plato?

How to think more critically
The importance of self-care (body, mind, spirit)
Why you must pursue truth, logic, and excellence

But who was Plato exactly?

An ancient Greek philosopher
Born around 428 BC and died around 348 BC
A student of Socrates, and a teacher to Aristotle
A writer and teacher who laid the foundation of Western philosophy

So, want to see the quotes and how you can implement them in your life?

Let’s begin!

The Best Plato Quotes

The greatest wealth is to live content with little. Plato

Ignorance, the root and the stem of every evil. Plato

Never discourage anyone… who continually makes progress, no matter how slow. Plato

A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things. Plato

Follow your dream as long as you live, do not lessen the time of following desire, for wasting time is an abomination of the spirit. Plato

Nothing taught by force stays in the soul. Plato

Reality is created by the mind. We can change our reality by changing our mind. Plato

To begin is the most important part of any quest and by far the most courageous. Plato

You should not honor men more than truth. Plato

No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth. Plato

Character is simply habit long continued. Plato

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Plato

Courage is knowing what not to fear. Plato

Know thyself. Plato

Plato Quotes On Education

Education is teaching our children to desire the right things. Plato

The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life. Plato

Better to complete a small task well, than to do much imperfectly. Plato

The one who learns and learns and doesn’t practice is like the one who plows and plows and never plants. Plato

Don’t force your children into your ways, for they were created for a time different from your own. Plato

True education, whatever that may be, will have the greatest tendency to civilize and humanize them in their relations to one another. Plato

A house that has a library in it has a soul. Plato

The object of education is to teach us to love what is beautiful. Plato

The right question is usually more important than the right answer. Plato

Do not use compulsion, but let early education be a sort of amusement; you will then be better able to find out the natural bent. Plato

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

In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means, education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these means, man can attain perfection. Plato

If one has made a mistake, and fails to correct it, one has made a greater mistake. Plato

I am trying to think, don’t confuse me with facts. Plato

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being. Plato

Writing is the geometry of the soul. Plato

Related philosophers

Plato Quotes On Justice, Morality

Justice means minding one’s own business and not meddling with other men’s concerns. Plato

Pleasure is the greatest incentive to evil. Plato

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. Plato

No wealth can ever make a bad man at peace with himself. Plato

The universal voice of mankind is always declaring that justice and virtue are honourable, but grievous and toilsome. Plato

Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty. Plato

Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge. Plato

Justice is the excellence of the soul, and injustice the defect of the soul. Plato

Injustice creates divisions and hatreds and fighting, and justice imparts harmony and friendship. Plato

Everything that deceives may be said to enchant. Plato

Knowledge becomes evil if the aim be not virtuous. Plato

Plato Quotes On Politics

The measure of a man is what he does with power. Plato

If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools. Plato

The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself. Plato

He who is not a good servant will not be a good master. Plato

Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws. Plato

Excess of liberty, whether it lies in state or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery. Plato

In democracy, people get the government they deserve. Plato

Those who tell the stories rule society. Plato

Plato Quotes On Philosophy, Life

Philosophy is the highest music. Plato

The first and the best victory is to conquer self. Plato

A good decision is based on knowledge and not numbers. Plato

Is not the love of learning the love of wisdom, which is philosophy? Plato

Apply yourself both now and in the next life. Without effort, you cannot be prosperous. Though the land is good, you cannot have an abundant crop without cultivation. Plato

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. Plato

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. Plato

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. Plato

Those who love the truth in each thing are to be called lovers of wisdom and not lovers of opinion. Plato

Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance. Plato

Your silence gives consent. Plato

There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain. Plato

Happiness springs from doing good and helping others. Plato

plato quotes wise men speak fools something wisdom

Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. Plato

Perfect wisdom has four parts: Wisdom, the principle of doing things aright. Justice, the principle of doing things equally in public and private. Fortitude, the principle of not fleeing danger, but meeting it. Temperance, the principle of subduing desires and living moderately. Plato (Related: Cardinal Virtues on Wikipedia)

False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. Plato

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. Plato

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. Plato

Is there anything more akin to wisdom than truth? Plato

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

Love is a serious mental disease. Plato

He was a wise man who invented beer. Plato

No human thing is of serious importance. Plato

Conclusion

Life must be lived as play. Plato

Key Takeaways From Plato’s Quotes

You don’t need much to live a happy life
- Study yourself
- Study philosophy
- Gain knowledge
- Surround yourself with good people
- Live with justice, courage, temperance
- Take care of yourself (body, mind, spirit)
Education is vital. Learn something new every day by reaching, thinking, and doing.
Live with justice and integrity. Don’t focus on what others say or do. Focus on excellence.
Be involved in your community. Teach others. Lead others. Otherwise, you’ll be led by inferiors.
Be willing to look like an idiot. Make learning and teaching your goal. Make life worth living. Play!

What are the best sources and books for Plato?

You can find the quotes above in the following books on Amazon:

Discover more Plato books on Amazon.

70 Must-Read Plato Quotes (Education, Justice, Philosophy)

The Best Plato Quotes

Plato Quotes On Education

Plato Quotes On Justice, Morality

Plato Quotes On Politics

Plato Quotes On Philosophy, Life

Conclusion

Key Takeaways From Plato’s Quotes

What are the best sources and books for Plato?

Further Readings

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