"If there were only some way of..." - Quote by Plato
If there were only some way of contriving that a state or an army should be made up of lovers and their beloved, they would be the very best governors of their own city, abstaining from all dishonour, and emulating one another in honour; and when fighting at each other's side, although a mere handful, they would overcome the world. For what lover would not choose rather to be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandoning his post or throwing away his arms? He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this.
More by Plato
“Entire ignorance is not so terrible or extreme an evil, and is far from being the greatest of all; too much cleverness and too much learning, accompanied with ill bringing-up, are far more fatal.”
“Is there anything worse for a state than to be split and disunited? or anything better than cohesion and unity?”
“People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.”
More on Love
More on Loyalty
“He that is thy friend indeed, he will help you in your need.”
“Dogs make good pets because they are very loyal”
“The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection, that one is sometimes willing to commit sins for the sake of loyalty, that one does not push asceticism to the point where it makes friendly intercourse impossible, and that one is prepared in the end to be defeated and broken up by life, which is the inevitable price of fastening one's love upon other human individuals.”