Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
PlatoRead
Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood let alone believed by the masses.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the difficulty of being recognized for deeper insights that challenge societal norms.
Plato's quote reflects the struggle of individuals who perceive truths that lie beyond the commonly accepted beliefs and deceptions of their culture. Those who dare to see and articulate these truths may find themselves alienated from the majority, as their perspectives are often not understood or accepted by the masses who cling to familiar narratives and societal norms.
In practice
In a lecture on critical thinking, this quote highlights the importance of questioning societal norms.
Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
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.
...for the object of education is to teach us to love beauty.
Pleasure is the greatest incentive to evil.
Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.
Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.
Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.
At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our life, which is inaccessable to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure glory of God in us.
My misfortune is doubly painful to me because it will result in my being misunderstood. For me there can be no recreation in the company of others, no intelligent conversation, no exchange of information with peers; only the most pressing needs can make me venture into society. I am obliged to live like an outcast.
All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God.
To be unattached is not to renounce the world. If you renounce the world you are attached to the world; otherwise why should you renounce it? What is the point in renouncing it if you are not attached to it? Only attachment renounces. If you are really non-attached there is no question of any renunciation.
There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.