---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had read Plato and Kant, but I had…"
description: "\"I had read Plato and Kant, but I had forgotten it.\" — Barbara Sukowa"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1e/barbara-sukowa-19717_books_i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forg_2000850.jpg"
---

#  I had read Plato and Kant, but I had forgotten it.

![“I had read Plato and Kant, but I had forgotten it.” quote by Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1e/barbara-sukowa-19717_books_i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forg_2000850.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1e/barbara-sukowa-19717_books_i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forg_2000850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1e/barbara-sukowa-19717_books_i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forg_2000850.jpg)

> “I had read Plato and Kant, but I had forgotten it.”

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Studying philosophy can be forgotten, yet its ideas may resurface, influencing thought and creativity.

**In simple terms:** Philosophical learning can be forgotten but later remembered.

Key Takeaway

Revisit philosophical texts for fresh insight.

Themes

education memory philosophy creativity learning

Mood

introspective curious

Type

reflective inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing
- teaching
- personal development

Key Concepts

cognitive retention intellectual growth artistic inspiration

Questions to Reflect On

- What philosophical concepts have resurfaced for you?
- How can you integrate forgotten ideas into current work?

A Different Perspective

Forgetting can hinder depth of understanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant/) [Kant Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant-forgotten-3519794/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plato/) [Plato Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plato-kant-3519795/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Read Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-plato-1331994/)

## Related quotes

> [“If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-muller/if-i-were-asked-under-what-sky-the-human-mind-has-most-fully/)

[Max Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-muller/)

> [I've deliberately studied many things that I know, going in, I won't be able to assimilate. I read Plato, St. Thomas, the mystics, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-ameche/i-ve-deliberately-studied-many-things-that-i-know-going-in-i-won-t-be/)

[Don Ameche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-ameche/)

> [“read Plato or Shakespeare or Dante as if we found their books in the street and had no idea who they were. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/read-plato-or-shakespeare-or-dante-as-if-we-found-their-books-in-the/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [It is ... possible to read Plato as if he were only discussing reason and not mystical intuition in his writings but ... in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcevilley/it-is-possible-to-read-plato-as-if-he-were-only-discussing-reason-and/)

[Thomas McEvilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcevilley/)

> [My father was a dreamy fellow - he read Plato and Socrates and watched Phillies games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/my-father-was-a-dreamy-fellow-he-read-plato-and-socrates-and-watched/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [“It had been communicated to me through the odd, secret whispers of women that a female’s nose must never shine. In war, in famine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/it-had-been-communicated-to-me-through-the-odd-secret-whispers-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Perhaps I was mad, as I thought at moments; perhaps I was not like other men? But I was able to do the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/perhaps-i-was-mad-as-i-thought-at-moments-perhaps-i-was-not-like/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [“What good is it if you read Plato and never clean your toilet? asked my mother, reverting to the values of Jubilee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/what-good-is-it-if-you-read-plato-and-never-clean-your-toilet-asked/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful; but I have never read in either of them: Come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/i-have-read-in-plato-and-cicero-sayings-that-are-wise-and-very/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [Kant, discussing the various modes of perception by which the human mind apprehends nature, concluded that it is specially prone to see nature through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeans/kant-discussing-the-various-modes-of-perception-by-which-the-human/)

[James Jeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jeans/)

> [“Modern man, brought up on Kantian idealism, regards nature as being no more than an outcome of the laws of the mind. Losing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-gilson/modern-man-brought-up-on-kantian-idealism-regards-nature-as-being-no/)

[Étienne Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etienne-gilson/)

> [ “\[Dostoyevsky\] eloquently proves that heartless ideas are often a source of immorality: they bring with them destructiveness, hatred, cynicism, and misanthropy. The novelist also… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-l-kline/dostoyevsky-eloquently-proves-that-heartless-ideas-are-often-a-source/)

[George L. Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-l-kline/)

> [Kantian ethical theory distinguishes three levels: First, that of a fundamental principle (the categorical imperative, formulated in three main ways in Kant's Groundwork); second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/kantian-ethical-theory-distinguishes-three-levels-first-that-of-a/)

[Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/)

> [“Against Hume, Kant has found a more proper ground for humility: “True humility follows unavoidably from our sincere and exact comparison of ourselves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-grenberg/against-hume-kant-has-found-a-more-proper-ground-for-humility-true/)

[Jeanine Grenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-grenberg/)

> [“Immanuel Kant" "Noch wal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-claus/immanuel-kant-noch-wal/)

[Hugo Claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-claus/)

## More by Barbara Sukowa

> [Normally, if you play a part, you have the words, and you invent the personality out of your experience, your knowledge - your life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/normally-if-you-play-a-part-you-have-the-words-and-you-invent-the/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [We live in a world where we don't really hear ideas. We just hear propaganda. That's not just boring. It's also very dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/we-live-in-a-world-where-we-don-t-really-hear-ideas-we-just-hear/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [In France and other European countries, film stars are more celebrated. In Germany, if we are good at what we do, we are respected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/in-france-and-other-european-countries-film-stars-are-more-celebrated/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [I was very lucky: I started acting in this highly subsidized German theater world, so there was not so much job insecurity. We had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-was-very-lucky-i-started-acting-in-this-highly-subsidized-german/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [To make a movie about someone who is thinking and writing is scary. There's no big love story, no action, no drama. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/to-make-a-movie-about-someone-who-is-thinking-and-writing-is-scary/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [I think it's important for politicians to have moral qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-think-it-s-important-for-politicians-to-have-moral-qualities/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [I don't have a radio or TV going all the time. It's very important to have awareness, to know when you tense up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-don-t-have-a-radio-or-tv-going-all-the-time-it-s-very-important-to/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [I am what I am. I'm not going to get plastic surgery. I had this discussion with my younger son. We were at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-am-what-i-am-i-m-not-going-to-get-plastic-surgery-i-had-this/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [They wanted me to do movies and television when I was very young, and it was a big temptation, but I really thought the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/they-wanted-me-to-do-movies-and-television-when-i-was-very-young-and/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [I'm a real optimist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-m-a-real-optimist/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [I always had acting work when I needed it. I think that is why, when I watch films or TV series in America, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-always-had-acting-work-when-i-needed-it-i-think-that-is-why-when-i/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [Women who are stronger than the society allows them to be often feel a need for something stronger than themselves, and to dissolve into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/women-who-are-stronger-than-the-society-allows-them-to-be-often-feel/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [In Germany, of course, the Holocaust will always be in our history and a big stain on our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/in-germany-of-course-the-holocaust-will-always-be-in-our-history-and/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [I started to read labels around age 18 or 19. I don't buy things that don't sound like food, and I've been that way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-started-to-read-labels-around-age-18-or-19-i-don-t-buy-things-that/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [You can only be a monster if people let you be a monster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/you-can-only-be-a-monster-if-people-let-you-be-a-monster/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

[Explore all 32 Barbara Sukowa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had read Plato and Kant, but I had forgotten it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barbara Sukowa"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forgotten-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forgotten-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1e/barbara-sukowa-19717_books_i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forg_2000850.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1e/barbara-sukowa-19717_books_i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forg_2000850.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1e/barbara-sukowa-19717_books_i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forg_2000850.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had read Plato and Kant, but I had forgotten it.” — Barbara Sukowa",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Barbara Sukowa",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had read Plato and Kant,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forgotten-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-had-read-plato-and-kant-but-i-had-forgotten-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
