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Entire ignorance is not so terrible or extreme an evil, and is far from being the greatest of all.
Plato
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Complete ignorance isn't the worst thing; there are worse states of being.

Plato suggests that while ignorance is often viewed negatively, it shouldn't be seen as the worst possible condition. There are more severe existential challenges and states of being than simply not knowing something, highlighting that ignorance can sometimes be a less serious affliction compared to pain, suffering, or moral failures.

Themes

IgnoranceWisdomPhilosophyKnowledgeTruth

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion on what makes life meaningful, one could use this quote to illustrate that there are worse things than not knowing.

More from Plato

Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
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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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