Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
At the Egyptian city of Naucratis there was a famous old god whose name was Theuth; the bird which is called the Ibis was sacred to him, and he was the inventor of many arts, such as arithmetic and calculation and geometry and astronomy and draughts and dice, but his great discovery was the use of letters.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Theuth, a divine figure, is credited with inventing essential arts and the discovery of letters, emphasizing the importance of knowledge and communication.
In this quote, Plato presents Theuth as a symbolic figure representing wisdom and invention. Theuth, revered as a god in Naucratis, is associated with various disciplines that shape human understanding and communication, particularly highlighting his invention of letters, which revolutionizes the way knowledge is preserved and shared. This underscores the profound impact of literacy and the arts on civilization and human progress.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the history of communication, I mentioned how Theuth's invention of letters changed civilization.
More from Plato
All quotes →Not one of them who took up in his youth with this opinion that there are no gods ever continued until old age faithful to his conviction.
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Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.
Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.
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