Philosophy Stack Exchange
Philosophy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [quote]

63 questions
21
votes
2 answers

Did Plato say “Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow”?

“Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” is a phrase popularly attributed to Plato on the internet, but after extensive googling, I can't see any reference to any of his works that contain it. Does it appear in…
Abijah
  • 321
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
12
votes
14 answers

Trying to Understand Quote by Nietzsche

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future (1886), Chapter IV.…
geocalc33
  • 261
  • 1
  • 2
  • 7
7
votes
4 answers

Is philosophy about organizing our ignorance?

I am interested in B. Russell's quote: Science is what we know; philosophy is what we don't know. What is he saying here in terms of a definition of philosophy? In his sense, is that correct to say that philosophy cannot give us more knowledge…
A.Alim
  • 81
  • 4
6
votes
1 answer

What is the meaning of this Voltaire quote?

What is the meaning of this Voltaire quote ? Nos cinq sens imparfaits, donnés par la nature, de nos biens, de nos maux sont la seuls mesure. I can't even parse this sentence.
Starckman
  • 1,254
  • 3
  • 11
6
votes
1 answer

Where is the source of the Seneca quote “to be good, it is not enough to be better than the worst”?

Where Seneca says something like: To be good, it is not enough to be better than the worst. I am looking for the correct preferably online reference.
Sasan
  • 511
  • 2
  • 7
6
votes
2 answers

What is Descartes arguing for in the text below?

Now it is indeed evident by the light of nature that there must be at least as much [reality] in the efficient and total cause as there is in the effect of that same cause. For whence, I ask, could an effect get its reality, if not from its cause?…
Maggie
  • 61
  • 2
6
votes
1 answer

Can I get more background on quote from Democritus?

The quote from philosopher Democritus is: [I would] rather discover one cause than gain the kingdom of Persia. or I would rather discover a single demonstration [in geometry] than become king of the Persians. I cannot find more information and…
Perf Lar
  • 63
  • 3
6
votes
5 answers

Did Aristotle say "The more you know..."

One finds all over the web the words attributed to Aristotle "The more you know, the more you know you don't know." Can that be right? It sounds a bit adorable for Aristotle, and the citations are always simply to Aristotle, with no work cited. Did…
Chaim
  • 221
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
5
votes
1 answer

What is the original text of Lao Zi’s quote “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be”?

I can not find the original quote in Chinese. It may be so difficult because the original text is probably very far from "When I let go of what I am...". Does anyone know what the original Chinese source is saying?
Hanz Juan tong
  • 59
  • 1
  • 2
4
votes
3 answers

Where exactly Kant says ‘philosophy is to learn how to think …’?

this is a famous quote from Emanuel Kant: “philosophy is to learn how to think, and not to learn thoughts”. Where exactly did Kant say that? And what is the correct form of it?
Sasan
  • 511
  • 2
  • 7
4
votes
4 answers

Did Camus ever really write "Should I kill myself or have a cup of coffee"?

I think it's so wonderfully and beautifully put, but can't find the source, and am curious as to whether or not it's a genuine quotation.
Claude Garcia
  • 57
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
4
votes
2 answers

What does this excerpt from Plato's Republic mean?

This excerpt is from Book II, concerning Plato's reasoning for censoring a certain story of Hesiod's: The doings of Cronus, and the sufferings which in turn his son inflicted upon him, even if they were true, ought certainly not to be lightly told…
Judicaël
  • 143
  • 4
4
votes
3 answers

Is it fallacious to argue that power must be evil?

According to popular wisdom "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely". If one is considering ethics, and one argues that power must be evil because it can corrupt people, is this a fallacy or are there merits to the argument?
Boone M Lori
  • 41
  • 1
4
votes
2 answers

Did Nietzsche actually say or write, "Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed."

The quote, "Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed" is, at least on the Internet, often attributed to Nietzsche, e.g., goodreads, Simple Reminders, IHeartIntelligence, and all over…
Mark D Worthen PsyD
  • 222
  • 1
  • 3
  • 9
4
votes
2 answers

What does this quote of Nietzsche mean?

So I read this quote: "Does wisdom perhaps appear on the earth as a raven which is inspired by the smell of carrion?" of Nietzsche and I have no idea of what he is talking about here. Can anybody enlighten me?
verv0eren
  • 43
  • 1
  • 4
1
2 3 4 5