Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
PlatoRead
.. we shall not be properly educated ourselves, nor will the guardians whom we are training, until we can recognise the qualities of discipline, courage, generosity, greatness of mind, and others akin to them, as well as their opposites in all their manifestations.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Education involves recognizing both positive qualities and their opposites. Training future guardians requires an understanding of these virtues in all forms.
This quote by Plato emphasizes the multifaceted nature of education and the importance of recognizing not only the virtues necessary for being virtuous guardians but also understanding their negative counterparts. True education extends beyond mere knowledge; it encompasses the ability to discern qualities such as discipline, courage, and generosity and to recognize when these traits are absent. This layered understanding is essential for both personal growth and the training of others.
Themes
EducationVirtuesDiscernmentTrainingCourageDiscipline
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth.
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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