Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
PlatoRead
The people always have some champion whom they set over them and nurse into greatness. ... This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that people often elevate a leader who initially appears to protect them, but this can lead to tyranny.
Plato's quote reflects on the relationship between the populace and their leaders, indicating that individuals will often seek out a champion, attributing their hopes and aspirations to this figure. Initially, this champion appears benevolent and protective, but over time, this can lead to the emergence of tyranny, as the authority granted can be abused. It serves as a cautionary statement about the nature of power and the dynamics between leaders and the led.
Themes
LeadershipTyrannyPowerProtectionGreatness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about political responsibility, one could use the quote to emphasize the need for vigilance against the rise of tyrannical leaders.
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
Slavery was not a bad day on the job. It was not your boss yelling at you. It was not hard work for little pay. This was a full system of human subjugation.
John RidleyRead
If you look at the developments in the international scene over the past many years, we haven't been able to resolve many problems and many crises, because we have approached them from a zero-sum perspective. My gain has always been defined as somebody else's loss, and through that, we never resolve problems.
Mohammad Javad ZarifRead
Ironically, the very fact that democracy has such a lengthy history has actually contributed to confusion and disagreement, for 'democracy' has meant different things to different people at different times and places.
Robert A. DahlRead
Many people in their teens wonder about these big questions - what's the meaning of life, what are we doing here - then somewhere in their 20s, they seem to say, 'I'll just get married. I'll just have kids. I'll get back to that later.' But they never do. For me, it kept boiling.
Yuval Noah HarariRead
The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when their tormentors suffer.
Laura HillenbrandRead
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.
Bertrand RussellRead