Classics ~ Sayings ~ Plato

PLATO

ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ.

A life without investigation is not worth a man's living.

Apology 38a

ἐγώ σοι ἐξ ἀρχῆς πάντα πειράσομαι διηγήσασθαι.

I will try to tell you everything from the beginning.

Phaedo 59c

ἡ μὲν ψυχὴ πολυχρόνιόν ἐστι, τὸ δὲ σῶμα ἀσθενέστερον καὶ ὀλιγοχρονιώτερον.

The soul lasts for a long time, while the body is weaker and short-lived.

Phaedo 87d

"ὦ Κρίτων", ἔφη, "τῷ Ἀσκληπιῷ ὀφείλομεν ἀλεκτρυόνα· ἀλλὰ ἀπόδοτε καὶ μὴ ἀμελήσετε."

“Crito”, he said, “to Asclepius we owe a cock: now pay it and do not neglect it.”

Phaedo 118a

ἥττων ἀμαθὴς σοφοῦ, δειλὸς ἀνδρείου.

An ignorant man is inferior to a wise man, a coward to a brave man.

Phaedrus 239a

ξυρεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖν λέοντα.

To attempt to shave a lion.

Republic 1, 341c

ὕδραν τέμνουσιν.

They are wounding a hydra [sc. which produces two heads for every one cut off].

Republic 4, 426e

οὔτε τι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἄξιον ὂν μεγάλης σπουδῆς.

Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.

Republic 10, 604b

οἱ φαῦλοι ἐρῶσι τῶν σωμάτων μᾶλλον ἢ τῶν ψυχῶν.

Base men are in love with the bodies rather than the souls.

Symposium 181b

ἔρως τῶν θεῶν βασιλεύει.

Love is king of the gods.

Symposium 195c

ἄνθρωπος μέτρον.

Man [is] the measure [of everything].

Theaetetus 152a [ Motto of Protagoras ]

ἀστέρας εἰσαθρεῖς ἀστὴρ ἐμός. εἴθε γενοίμην

     οὐρανός, ὡς πολλοῖς ὄμμασιν εἰς σὲ βλέπω.

At stars you are gazing, my Star. If only I were the sky, that with many eyes I might look on you.

OBGV 45

ἀγεωμέτρητος μηδεὶς εἰσίτω.

Let no one untutored in geometry enter.

[ Motto over the entrance to Plato’s Academy ]

ἀεὶ ὁ θεὸς γεωμετρεῖ.

God always geometrises.

The following mnemonic for π (pi) was derived from this phrase of Plato (number of characters in each of the Greek words):

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