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No man undertakes a trade he has not learned, even the meanest; yet everyone thinks himself sufficiently qualified for the hardest of all trades, that of government.
Socrates
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Socrates points out the irony that while people train for many professions, they often believe they are fit to govern without any formal education or experience.

In this quote, Socrates highlights a fundamental contradiction in human nature: individuals take the time to learn and prepare for various trades and professions, recognizing the need for expertise in those areas. However, when it comes to the complex and impactful role of governance, many assume they are inherently qualified despite lacking the necessary education or training, which can lead to poor decision-making and chaos in society.

Themes

GovernmentQualificationIronyPhilosophyPreparedness

In practice

Example use cases

In a political debate, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of experience in leadership.

More from Socrates

A system of morality that is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception that has nothing sound in it and nothing true.
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The poets are only the interpreters of the gods.
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I am wiser than this man, for neither of us appears to know anything great and good; but he fancies he knows something, although he knows nothing; whereas I, as I do not know anything, so I do not fancy I do. In this trifling particular, then, I appear to be wiser than he, because I do not fancy I know what I do not know.
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The unexamined life is not worth living.
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When I was young, I believed that life might unfold in an orderly way, according to my hopes and expectations. But now I understand that the Way winds like a river, always changing, ever onward.. My journeys revealed that the Way itself creates the warrior; that every path leads to peace, every choice to wisdom. And that life has always been, and will always be, arising in Mystery.
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Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued." "It is not living that matters, but living rightly. The unexamined life is not worth living.
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