Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
PlatoRead
And we must beg Homer and the other poets not to be angry if we strike out these and similar passages, not because they are unpoetical, or unattractive to the popular ear, but because the greater the poetical charm in them, the less are they meet for the ears of boys and men who are meant to be free, and who should fear slavery more than death.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Plato emphasizes the importance of freedom over poetic charm for the minds of young individuals.
In this quote, Plato argues that certain poetic elements, while attractive, may not be suitable for young minds who are meant to be free thinkers. He suggests that the allure of such poetry can lead to a form of intellectual slavery, which is far worse than physical death. Therefore, he implores poets like Homer to consider the impact of their works on the freedom of thought and understanding among youth.
Themes
FreedomPoetryEducationYouthPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a discussion about the influence of literature on young minds.
More from Plato
All quotes →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.
PlatoRead
...for the object of education is to teach us to love beauty.
PlatoRead
Pleasure is the greatest incentive to evil.
PlatoRead
Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.
PlatoRead
Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.
PlatoRead
Similar quotes
Who tells a finer tale than any of us. Silence does.
Isak DinesenRead
The person I am now, compared with the person in the dream, has been baffled and defeated and only supposes he enjoys a full life. In the dreams, I see what a full life really consists of, and it is not what I really have.
Philip K. DickRead
As a body without breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead.
John StottRead
Factual truth is always related to other people: it concerns events and circumstances in which many are involved; it is established by witnesses and depends upon testimony; it exists only to the extent that it is spoken about, even if it occurs in the domain of privacy. It is political by nature.
Hannah ArendtRead
Being here really is just the invitation to rest as Being. There is nothing you have to do. It is not an invitation to become. You will not be scrutinized, your actions compared with those of others. Thats just unicorn food. Let your river flow as it pleases. Simply observe and recognise that all is unfolding spontaneously when that inner journalist- the ego, is exposed as a myth.
MoojiRead
In short, is American life of the future to be characterized by freedom or by servitude, strength or weakness? The answer must be clear and unequivocal if we are to avoid the pitfalls toward which we are now heading with such certainty. In many respects it is not to be found in any dogma of political philosophy but in those immutable precepts which underlie the Ten Commandments.
Douglas MacarthurRead