Knowledge, if it does not determine action, is dead to us.
PlotinusRead
Beauty addresses itself chiefly to sight, but there is a beauty for the hearing too, as in certain combinations so words and in all kinds of music; for melodies and cadences are beautiful; and minds that lift themselves above the realm of sense to a higher order are aware of beauty in the conduct of life, in actions, in character, in the pursuits of the intellect; and there is the beauty of the virtues.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Beauty can be perceived through both sight and sound, and it extends to virtues and actions in life.
In this quote, Plotinus emphasizes the multifaceted nature of beauty, suggesting that it is not limited to what we see but also exists in what we hear, such as music and eloquence. He argues that true understanding of beauty goes beyond sensory experience, encouraging minds to recognize beauty in character, actions, and intellectual pursuits, thus linking beauty with virtue and a higher order of existence.
Themes
BeautyMusicVirtueIntellectCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a lecture about the nature of art and beauty.
More from Plotinus
All quotes →The stars are like letters that inscribe themselves at every moment in the sky. Everything in the world is full of signs. All events are coordinated. All things depend on each other. Everything breathes together.
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I am striving to give back the Divine in myself to the Divine in the All.
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All things are filled full of signs, and it is a wise man who can learn about one thing from another.
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The Soul of each one of us is sent, that the universe may be complete.
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God is not external to anyone, but is present with all things, though they are ignorant that He is so.
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