Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
PlatoRead
And all knowledge, when separated from justice and virtue, is seen to be cunning and not wisdom; wherefore make this your first and last and constant and all-absorbing aim, to exceed, if possible, not only us but all your ancestors in virtue; and know that to excel you in virtue only brings us shame, but that to be excelled by you is a source of happiness to us.
Interpretation
True knowledge must be grounded in justice and virtue; the pursuit of virtue is the highest aim.
This quote from Plato emphasizes that knowledge devoid of justice and virtue is merely cleverness and not true wisdom. Plato implores individuals to strive for greater virtue than their predecessors, highlighting that excelling in virtue not only honors those who came before but also brings joy to them, reinforcing the interconnectedness of knowledge, virtue, and moral responsibility.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal growth and integrity.
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.
Our sins are more easily remembered than our good deeds.
The man who is praised by others is regarded as worthy though he may be really void of all merit. But the man who sings his own praises becomes disgraced though he should be Indra, the possessor of all excellencies.
So in the Libyan fable it is told That once an eagle, stricken with a dart, Said, when he saw the fashion of the shaft: With our own feathers, not by others' hands, Are we now smitten.
Now this relaxation of the mind from work consists on playful words or deeds. Therefore it becomes a wise and virtuous man to have recourse to such things at times.
May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true. May you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong. May you stay forever young.
To make the public sentiment on the side of all that is just and true and noble is the highest use of life.
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