A tough read, but with many surprising lessons and advice still relevant to modern life.

Author:	Plato
Publisher:	c. 375 BC
ISBN:	9780753539798 (ISBN10: 0753539799)
Characteristics:	357 pages, Paperback ; 24 cm.
Source:	eBook (epub read on Kindle)
Date Read:	27-April-2026

A read using the Kindle means easily looking up words you don’t understand, and highlighting parts of the text that are interesting. But I still prefer real books as it’s much easier to backtrack, and it is too easy to lose your progress with the Kindle. It is much smaller and lighter though.

This is the oldest text I have read, and the most difficult to understand. Reading this in a book club and with others would help get into what The Republic is about. On your own it’s not easy.

The Republic is a series of discussions between philosophers as captured by Plato. It’s unclear if Plato recorded them verbatim or if they are players in Plato’s creative mind to communicate ideas. The text is written as a dialogue without quotation marks adding to the difficulty of comprehension. One philosopher talks for some time, and the other either agrees or asks for clarification. There are few disagreements.

What I did get out of reading The Republic were some memorable quotes.

Justice

There are many references to justice and how important it is to mankind and to The Republic. It is never really defined, but without it nations eventually don’t function and people whose justice is denied are much discontented.

Near Death

This first quote really grabbed me, as being older now you do think about death and what will happen afterwards. Does one go to heaven, hell or does the consciousness die and there’s nothing?

It’s often an age where people become believers in religion. Plato captures the fear everyone has when approaching last days.

For let me tell you, Socrates, that when a man thinks himself to be near death, fears and cares enter into his mind which he never had before; the tales of a world below and the punishment which is exacted there of deeds done here were once a laughing matter to him, but now he is tormented with the thought that they may be true: either from the weakness of age, or because he is now drawing nearer to that other place, he has a clearer view of these things; suspicions and alarms crowd thickly upon him, and he begins to reflect and consider what wrongs he has done to others.

And when he finds that the sum of his transgressions is great he will many a time like a child start up in his sleep for fear, and he is filled with dark forebodings. But to him who is conscious of no sin, sweet hope, as Pindar charmingly says, is the kind nurse of his age.

The Republic, Plato. Part 1, ref: 6.30

Courage and Death

The next point of interest discusses bravery and death. And I agree with Plato, fear of death stops courage. If you value life, why would you risk yours for something not worthwhile. This is why religion is encouraged in the military because a fear of death does not make courageous soldiers.

Can any man be courageous who has the fear of death in him?

Certainly not, he said.

And can he be fearless of death, or will he choose death in battle rather than defeat and slavery, who believes the world below to be real and terrible?

Impossible.

The Republic, Plato. Part 3. Ref:10.3

Skill Specialisation

The author discusses much how bad having people multi-skill, and I don’t understand why it’s being discussed like it’s essential to the well-being of the state, the republic.

It is the old “Jack of all trades, but master of none” truism. As long as time is spent to master one skill and only moving to another out of necessity it’s fine. Workers need to retool sometimes to support their family. Maybe it’s an issue about job quality.

I guess when the text was written society and technology changed very slowly and it would have been normal to do the same job for a lifetime, so learning new skills would have been completely unnecessary and a waste of time and resources.

But I suppose you would argue that such a style is unsuitable to our State, in which human nature is not twofold or manifold, for one man plays one part only?

Yes; quite unsuitable.

And this is the reason why in our State, and in our State only, we shall find a shoemaker to be a shoemaker and not a pilot also, and a husbandman to be a husbandman and not a dicast also, and a soldier a soldier and not a trader also, and the same throughout?

True, he said.

The Republic, Plato. Part 3, ref: 10.204.

Plato eloquently expresses how important it is for judges to have knowledge but not experience in themselves of what is evil.

Therefore, I said, the judge should not be young; he should have learned to know evil, not from his own soul, but from late and long observation of the nature of evil in others: knowledge should be his guide, not personal experience.

Yes, he said, that is the ideal of a judge.

The Republic, Plato. Part 3, ref: 10.378.

Wealth and Poverty

It’s interesting that the extremes of assets as in wealth and poverty are seen as evil, sparing the middle class. Ideally the middle ground would be looked after, unlike today where the top is taxed less and the poor get the handouts leaving the middle class to pay for everything. A very mixed-up world we live in now!

What evils?

Wealth, I said, and poverty; the one is the parent of luxury and indolence, and the other of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent.

The Republic, Plato. Part 4, ref: 12.26.

What Makes A Philosopher

The author being a philosopher it shouldn’t be surprising that he has an opinion on what makes a good one, and Plato has plenty to say on the subject. I love the quote “Philosophers are those who are lovers of the vision of truth”.

Whereas he who has a taste for every sort of knowledge and who is curious to learn and is never satisfied, may be justly termed a philosopher? Am I not right?

Glaucon said: If curiosity makes a philosopher, you will find many a strange being will have a title to the name. All the lovers of sights have a delight in learning and must therefore be included. Musical amateurs, too, are a folk strangely out of place among philosophers, for they are the last persons in the world who would come to anything like a philosophical discussion, if they could help, while they run about at the Dionysiac festivals as if they had let out their ears to hear every chorus; whether the performance is in town or country—that makes no difference—they are there. Now are we to maintain that all these and any who have similar tastes, as well as the professors of quite minor arts, are philosophers?

Certainly not, I replied; they are only an imitation.

He said: Who then are the true philosophers?

Those, I said, who are lovers of the vision of truth.

The Republic, Plato. Part 5, ref: 14.446

And Plato knows what a good philosopher needs, a resistance to falsehoods, and presumably being able to seek out evidence.

Truthfulness: they will never intentionally receive into their mind falsehood, which is their detestation, and they will love the truth.

Yes, that may be safely affirmed of them.

The Republic, Plato. Part 6, ref: 16.25.

Military and Maths

This was a surprising inclusion as I was expecting the book to be all about nation building, but your military needs to be able to defend the state and for that maths is vital. Military campaigns rely heavily on logistics, and maths is needed to make sure there’s enough of everything.

Can we deny that a warrior should have a knowledge of arithmetic?

Certainly he should, if he is to have the smallest understanding of military tactics, or indeed, I should rather say, if he is to be a man at all.

The Republic, Plato. Part 7, ref: 18.107

Thinking is Hard Work

Plato being a full-time thinker, it’s probably not surprising that he sees it as hard work. But I think it’s true, it is easier to do something physical without thinking than a task which involves immense consideration and risk if you are wrong. Maybe this is why philosophy is under pressure?

Such gifts as keenness and ready powers of acquisition; for the mind more often faints from the severity of study than from the severity of gymnastics: the toil is more entirely the mind’s own, and is not shared with the body.

Very true, he replied.

The Republic, Plato. Part 7, ref:18.287.

Philosophy Under Pressue

Plato laments how philosophy is less respected by the public. There’s no reason given, but maybe there are fewer newcomers because it’s a difficult role?

The need for the youth to enter the profession is recognised.

For when I saw philosophy so undeservedly trampled underfoot of men, I could not help feeling a sort of indignation at the authors of her disgrace: and my anger made me too vehement.

Indeed! I was listening and did not think so.

But I, who am the speaker, felt that I was. And now let me remind you that, although in our former selection we chose old men, we must not do so in this. Solon was under a delusion when he said that a man when he grows old may learn many things—for he can no more learn much than he can run much; youth is the time for any extraordinary toil.

The Republic, Plato. Part 7, ref: 18.303.

Conclusion

It was a tough read, and sometimes many paragraphs were passed before it made some sense again. Ideally it needs to be read within a group with a philosophical interest. I am glad I read it as I found some gems of quotes. I probably won’t read another of Plato’s work, even though I have more on the Kindle, thinking is hard work!

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Further Reading