Your friend Plato holds that commonwealths will only be happy when either philosophers rule or rulers philosophize: how remote happiness must appear when philosophers won’t even deign to share their thoughts with kings.
It was evidently quite obvious to a powerful intellect like his that the one essential condition for a healthy society was equal distribution of goods – which I suspect is impossible under capitalism. For, when everyone’s entitled to get as much for himself as he can, all available property, however much there is of it, is bound to fall into the hands of a small minority, which means that everyone else is poor.
The clod rejects as too difficult whatever isn’t cloddish.
Plato judged right, that except kings themselves became philosophers, they who from their childhood are corrupted with false notions would never fall in entirely with the counsels of philosophers, and this he himself found to be true in the person of Dionysius.
Fear of want, no doubt, makes every living creature greedy and rapacious, and man, besides, develops these qualities out of sheer pride, which glories in getting ahead of others by a superfluous display of possessions.
It’s better to have enough of what we really need than an abundance of superfluities.
There’s nothing majestic about ruling a nation of beggars – true majesty consists in governing the rich and prosperous. That’s what that admirable character Fabricius meant when he said he’d rather govern rich men than be one. Certainly a man who enjoys a life of luxury while everyone else is moaning and groaning around him can hardly be called a king – he is more like a gaoler.
It is naturally given to all men to esteem their own inventions best. So both the raven and the ape think their own young ones fairest.
Don’t give up the ship in a storm because you cannot hold back the winds.
You are not obliged to assault people with discourses that are out of their road, when you see that their received notions must prevent your making an impression upon them: you ought rather to cast about and to manage things with all the dexterity in your power, so that, if you are not able to make them go well, they may be as little ill as possible; for, except all men were good, everything cannot be right, and that is a blessing that I do not at present hope to see.
The magistrates never engage the people in unnecessary labour, since the chief end of the constitution is to regulate labour by the necessities of the public, and to allow the people as much time as is necessary for the improvement of their minds, in which they think the happiness of life consists.
Failing all else, their last resort will be: ‘This was good enough for our ancestors, and who are we to question their wisdom?’ Then they’ll settle back in their chairs, with an air of having said the last word on the subject – as if it would be a major disaster for anyone to be caught being wiser than his ancestors!
For the Utopians were amazed that anyone can take delight in the transitory glitter of a tiny jewel or precious stone, when he is free to gaze at a star, or even at the sun itself.
This may be, methinketh, good cousin, great comfort in tribulation: that every tribulation which any time falleth unto us is either sent to be medicinable, if men will so take it; or may become medicinable, if men will so make it;.
The change of the word,” said he, “does not alter the matter.
Among the ministers of princes, there are none that are not so wise as to need no assistance, or at least, that do not think themselves so wise that they imagine they need none; and if they court any, it is only those for whom the prince has much personal favour, whom by their fawning and flatteries they endeavour to fix to their own interests...
For I would rather pass for a Good Man than for a Wise Man.
It seems to me a very unjust thing to take away a man’s life for a little money, for nothing in the world can be of equal value with a man’s life:.
He had, with great cost, acquired a vast stock of wisdom, which is not soon lost when it is purchased so dear.
I prefer to be honest rather than clever.
There’s almost no place where you won’t find Scyllas, ravening Celaenos, man-eating Laestrygones and such-like horrors,8 but wise and well-instructed.