Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
PlatoRead
My good friend, you are a citizen of Athens, a city which is very great and very famous for its wisdom and power - are you not ashamed of caring so much for the making of money and for fame and prestige, when you neither think nor care about wisdom and truth and the improvement of your soul?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Prioritizing material wealth and fame over wisdom and self-improvement is misguided.
In this quote, Plato is addressing a friend and criticizing the preoccupation with wealth and social status, which are fleeting and superficial. He emphasizes the importance of wisdom, truth, and personal growth, suggesting that true fulfillment arises from nurturing the soul and pursuing intellectual and ethical virtues rather than succumbing to societal pressures for material success.
Themes
WisdomTruthSoulWealthFameSelf-Improvement
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal values.
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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...for the object of education is to teach us to love beauty.
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Pleasure is the greatest incentive to evil.
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Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.
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Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.
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