Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow... even if that someone is yourself!
PlatoRead
There's a victory, and defeat; the first and best of victories, the lowest and worst of defeats which each man gains or sustains at the hands not of another, but of himself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that our greatest victories and defeats come from within ourselves rather than from external forces.
Plato reflects on the nature of personal struggle, asserting that the true battle lies in conquering one's own mind and limitations. He suggests that the greatest success is the mastery over oneself, while the most profound failure is succumbing to one's own shortcomings. This inner conflict defines the human experience and highlights the importance of self-awareness and personal responsibility.
Themes
VictoryDefeatSelfPersonal GrowthPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about overcoming personal challenges.
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
A man must know his destiny… if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder… if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it.
George S. PattonRead
If you do not think well of Him because His qualities are beautiful then think well of Him because of the way He treats you.
Ibn Ata AllahRead
The soul should take care of the body, just as the pilgrim on his way to Makkah takes care of his camel; but if the pilgrim spends his whole time in feeding and adorning his camel, the caravan will leave him behind, and he will perish in the desert.
Al-GhazaliRead
People of character do the right thing, not because they think it will change the world but because they refuse to be changed by the world.
Michael JosephsonRead
You are not an observer, you are a participant.
Nhat HanhRead
The spirit is the true self, not that physical figure which can be pointed out by your finger.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead