Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
Philosophy is the highest music.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Philosophy elevates our understanding and appreciation of life, similar to the way music enriches our experiences.
In this quote, Plato suggests that philosophy, like music, has the power to move and inspire us. Just as music can evoke emotions and create harmony in our lives, philosophy deepens our understanding of the world, prompts reflection, and encourages a search for truth and meaning. Thus, the pursuit of wisdom parallels the enjoyment of beautiful melodies, elevating our existence to a higher state.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the importance of critical thinking, I quoted Plato's philosophy is the highest music to emphasize the beauty of intellectual exploration.
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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What greater grief than the loss of one's native land.
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To be born, to live and to die is merely to change forms... And what does one form matter any more than another?... Each form has its own sort of happiness and unhappiness. From the elephant down to the flea... from the flea down to the sensitive and living molecule which is the origin of all, there is not a speck in the whole of nature that does not feel pain or pleasure.
No man is sane who does not know how to be insane on proper occasions.
The movement to abolish the death penalty needs the religious community because the heart of religion is about compassion, human rights, and the indivisible dignity of each human person made in the image of God.