Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
The passionate are like men standing on their heads, they see all things the wrong way.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that those who are overly passionate may lose perspective and see things inaccurately.
Plato's quote highlights the nature of passion and its potential drawbacks. While passion can lead to intense emotions and strong convictions, it may also distort one's perception of reality. People consumed by their passions might overlook rational judgment and objective truths, leading to a skewed understanding of themselves and the world around them. Therefore, the quote serves as a cautionary reminder that one should balance passion with reason to gain a clearer perspective.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of maintaining objectivity in decision-making.
More from Plato
All quotes βNot 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.
Similar quotes
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And when the Patrician was unhappy, he became very democratic. He found intricate and painful ways of spreading that unhappiness as far as possible.
Many think that the price of discipleship is too costly and too burdensome. For some, it involves giving up too much. But the cross is not as heavy as it appears to be. Through obedience, we acquire much greater strength to carry it.
That we devote ourselves to God, is seen In living just as though no God there were.
The belief in a political Utopia is especially dangerous. This is possibly connected with the fact that the search for a better world, like the investigation of our environment, is (if I am correct) one of the oldest and most important of all the instincts.