--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The student is half afraid to meet one of…" description: "\"The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/anonymous-1_able_the-student-is-half-afraid-to-meet-one-o_2663843.jpg" --- # The student is half afraid to meet one of the great… ![“The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. The simplest student will be…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/anonymous-1_able_the-student-is-half-afraid-to-meet-one-o_2663843.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/anonymous-1_able_the-student-is-half-afraid-to-meet-one-o_2663843.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c3/anonymous-1_able_the-student-is-half-afraid-to-meet-one-o_2663843.jpg) > “The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Students fear confronting great philosophers, feeling inadequate, yet the original works are more understandable than modern commentary. **In simple terms:** Great philosophers are more accessible than modern analysis. Key Takeaway Read original philosophical texts. Themes education philosophy confidence Mood encouraging thoughtful Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - educational writing Key Concepts academic study self‑directed learning critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - Why do students fear original thinkers? - How can you build confidence in philosophical study? A Different Perspective Modern commentary can obscure original ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Face to face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-to-face/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Great philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-philosophers/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Inadequate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inadequate/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers/) [Philosophers Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers-face-676841/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plato/) [Plato Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plato-said-2279858/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Simplest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simplest/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Faced with the thoughts, the actions of a woman whom we love, we are as completely at a loss as the world's first natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/faced-with-the-thoughts-the-actions-of-a-woman-whom-we-love-we-are-as/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The complexities of adult life get in the way of the truth. 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