Plato
Greek · 428–348 BC
Ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, whose dialogues laid the groundwork for Western philosophy.
Wikipedia ↗“Ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ.”
Ελληνικά
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Spoken by Socrates as recorded by Plato.
“Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα.”
Ελληνικά
“I know that I know nothing.”
Spoken by Socrates as recorded by Plato; also known as the Socratic paradox.
“Ἀνδρεία ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ δεινοῦ καὶ μὴ δεινοῦ ἐπιστήμη.”
Ελληνικά
“Courage is knowing what not to fear.”
“The measure of a man is what he does with power.”
English
Modern paraphrase of themes in The Republic; not a direct quotation.
“Δόξα ἄρα μεταξύ ἐστιν ἐπιστήμης καὶ ἀγνοίας.”
Ελληνικά
“Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.”
“Ἀρχὴ δέ τοι ἥμισυ παντός.”
Ελληνικά
“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
“Ὃς ἂν μὴ καλῶς δουλεύσῃ, οὐδ᾽ ἂν καλῶς δεσπόσειεν.”
Ελληνικά
“He who is not a good servant will not be a good master.”
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
English
Widely attributed to Plato but no ancient source confirmed; possibly a modern paraphrase of Philo of Alexandria.
“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.”
English
This is a modern paraphrase inspired by the Allegory of the Cave; not a direct translation from the Greek. No ancient source confirmed.
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”
English
Widely attributed to Plato but no confirmed ancient source; likely a modern composite.