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For though a man should be a complete unbeliever in the being of gods; if he also has a native uprightness of temper, such persons will detest evil in men; their repugnance to wrong disinclines them to commit wrongful acts; they shun the unrighteous and are drawn to the upright.
Plato
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Moral integrity is not dependent on belief in deities; it arises from an innate sense of right and wrong.

This quote by Plato illustrates the idea that a person's moral character and ethical behavior can exist independently of religious beliefs. It emphasizes that even those who may not believe in gods can possess a natural inclination towards goodness and virtue, leading them to abhor evil and seek righteousness, suggesting that morality is inherent in human nature.

Themes

MoralityUprightnessEthicsBeliefGoodnessRightWrong

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion on ethics, this quote can exemplify the idea that people can be good without religious influence.

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Quote by Plato | QuoteProject