Quotes About Soul

Then the imitative poet who aims at being popular is not by nature made, nor is his art intended, to please or to affect the rational principle in the soul; but he will prefer the passionate and fitful temper, which is easily imitated? Clearly. And

There can be no fairer spectacle than that of a man, who combines the possession of moral beauty in his soul with outward beauty of form, corresponding and harmonizing with the former, because the same great pattern enters both.

isn't this why the rearing in music is most sovereign? Because rhythm and harmony most of all insinuate themselves into the inmost part of the soul and most vigorously lay hold of it in bringing grace with them; and they make a man graceful if he is correctly reared, if not, the opposite.

The meaning is, I believe, that in the human soul there is a better and also a worse principle; and when the better has the worse under control, then a man is said to be master of himself; and this is a term of praise: but when, owing to evil education or association, the better principle, which is also the smaller, is overwhelmed by the greater mass of the worse—in this case he is blamed and is called the slave of self and unprincipled. Yes

Stranger: 'Are not thought and speech the same, with this exception, that what is called thought is the unuttered conversation of the soul with herself? Theatetus: Quite true. Stranger: But the stream of thought which flows through the lips and is audible is called speech? Theatetus: True. Stranger: And we know that there exists in speech... Theatetus: What exists? Stranger: Affirmation Theatetus: Yes, we know it.

The first of the two loves has a noble purpose, and delights only in the intelligent nature of man, and is faithful to the end, and has no shadow of wantonness or lust. The second is the coarser kind of love, which is a love of the body rather than of the soul, and is of women and boys as well as of men.

Gymnastic as well as music should begin in early years; the training in it should be careful and should continue through life. Now my belief is,—and this is a matter upon which I should like to have your opinion in confirmation of my own, but my own belief is,—not that the good body by any bodily excellence improves the soul, but, on the contrary, that the good soul, by her own excellence, improves the body as far as this may be possible. What do you say? Yes, I agree. Then

Yes, if he is to have true music in him.

But the question is not quite so easy when we proceed to ask whether these principles are three or one; whether, that is to say, we learn with one part of our nature, are angry with another, and with a third part desire the satisfaction of our natural appetites; or whether the whole soul comes into play in each sort of action—to determine that is the difficulty. Yes, he said; there lies the difficulty. Then

E não é que é só no corpo, mas também na alma os modos, os costumes, as opiniões, desejos, prazeres, aflições, temores, cada um desses afetos jamais permanece o mesmo em cada um de nós, mas uns nascem, outros morrem.

as long as we possess the body, and our soul is contaminated by such an evil, we'll surely never adequately gain what we desire —and that, we say, is truth. (...) besides, it fills us up with lusts and desires, with fears and fantasies of every kind, and with any amount of trash, so that really and truly we are, as the saying goes, never able to think of anything at all because of it.

Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself.

No tendrás, pues, que establecer en la ciudad, junto con esa judicatura, un cuerpo médico de individuos como aquellos de que hablábamos, que cuiden de tus ciudadanos que tengan bien constituidos cuerpo y alma, pero, en cuanto a los demás, dejen morir a aquellos cuya deficiencia radique en sus cuerpos o condenen a muerte ellos mismos a los que tengan un alma naturalmente mala e incorregible?

If then virtue is something in the soul, and necessarily good, it must be a matter of mindfulness. For all other qualities of soul are in themselves neither good nor harmful. As accompanied by forethought or thoughtlessness, they become good or harmful. This argument shows that virtue, being good, must be a kind of mindfulness.

Son, pues, estos dos principios los que, en mi opi­nión, podríamos considerar como causas de que la divi­nidad haya otorgado a los hombres otras dos artes, la música y la gimnástica, no para el alma y el cuerpo, ex­cepto de una manera secundaria, sino para la fogosidad y filosofía respectivamente, con el fin de que estos princi­pios lleguen, mediante tensiones o relajaciones, al punto necesario de mutua armonía.

Por consiguiente, el que mejor sepa combinar gim­nástica y música y aplicarlas a su alma con arreglo a la más justa proporción, ése será el hombre a quien poda­mos considerar como el más perfecto y armonioso músico con mucha más razón que a quien no hace otra cosa que armonizar entre sí las cuerdas de un instru­mento.

So in the first place, such things show clearly that the philosopher more than other men frees the soul from association with the body as much as possible?

No creo que el cuerpo, por bien constituido que esté, domine por su perfección al alma buena; por el contrario, creo que el alma, cuando es buena, imprime al cuerpo, como un efecto de su propia excelencia, toda la perfección de que es capaz." (Platón, República).

en el alma, ningún conocimiento forzado es perdurable." (Platón, República).

el alma no conserva ningún conocimiento que haya penetrado en ella por la fuerza.

Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. It is the essence of order and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form

Have you never observed how invincible and unconquerable is spirit and how the presence of it makes the soul of any creature to be absolutely fearless and indomitable?

The true lover of knowledge is always striving after being - that is his nature; he will not rest in the multiplicity of individuals which is an appearance only, but will go on - the keen edge will not be blunted, nor the force of his desire abate until he have attained the knowledge of the true nature of every essence by a sympathetic and kindred power in the soul.

Cuando se suscita en el alma alguna rebelión, la cólera toma siempre las armas en favor de la razón.