--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ideal goals are a menace in themselves…" description: "\"Ideal goals are a menace in themselves, as much in more modern philosophers as in Plato.\" — Moses Finley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/moses-finley-35513_goal_ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-a_1297794.jpg" --- # Ideal goals are a menace in themselves, as much in more… ![“Ideal goals are a menace in themselves, as much in more modern philosophers as in Plato.” quote by Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/moses-finley-35513_goal_ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-a_1297794.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/moses-finley-35513_goal_ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-a_1297794.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/moses-finley-35513_goal_ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-a_1297794.jpg) > “Ideal goals are a menace in themselves, as much in more modern philosophers as in Plato.” [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideal goals can become harmful when they become rigid ideals, echoing Plato’s critique of abstract perfection. **In simple terms:** Ideal goals can turn into traps. Key Takeaway Beware of unattainable standards. Themes philosophy critique idealism psychology selfhelp Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - personal development - academic research - career planning - self‑assessment Key Concepts Platonism modern philosophy goal setting Questions to Reflect On - Are your goals realistic? - How do you balance aspiration with flexibility? A Different Perspective Ideal goals may ignore human complexity and cause frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) ## Related quotes > [“study of human nature was in a sorry state. 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Knowledge must lead to understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/knowledge-for-its-own-sake-was-meaningless-its-mere-accumulation-a/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [Historical explanation is not identical with moral judgment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/historical-explanation-is-not-identical-with-moral-judgment/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [We must consider not only why the classical theory of democracy appears to be in contradiction with the observed practice, but also why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/we-must-consider-not-only-why-the-classical-theory-of-democracy/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [Political leaders, lacking documents that could be kept secret (apart from the occasional exception), lacking media they could control, were of necessity brought into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/political-leaders-lacking-documents-that-could-be-kept-secret-apart/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [A genuinely political society, in which discussion and debate are an essential technique, is a society full of risks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/a-genuinely-political-society-in-which-discussion-and-debate-are-an/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [What I am arguing, in effect, is that the full democratic system of the second half of the fifth century B.C. would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/what-i-am-arguing-in-effect-is-that-the-full-democratic-system-of-the/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [Perhaps the best known, and certainly the most vaunted, "discovery" of modern public opinion research is the indifference and ignorance of a majority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/perhaps-the-best-known-and-certainly-the-most-vaunted-discovery-of/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [Faction is the greatest evil and the most common danger. "Faction" is the conventional English translation of the Greek stasis, one of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/faction-is-the-greatest-evil-and-the-most-common-danger-faction-is/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [man is by nature designed to live in the polis, the highest form of koinonia, community; that is man's end or goal if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/man-is-by-nature-designed-to-live-in-the-polis-the-highest-form-of/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [In the western world today everyone is a democrat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/in-the-western-world-today-everyone-is-a-democrat/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [If I had to choose one which best characterized the condition of being a political leader in Athens, the word would be "tension".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/if-i-had-to-choose-one-which-best-characterized-the-condition-of/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [It is a mark of civilised man that he seeks to understand his traditions, and to criticise them, not to swallow them whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/it-is-a-mark-of-civilised-man-that-he-seeks-to-understand-his/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) [Explore all 13 Moses Finley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) ## More Goal quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [According to the best research, less than 3% of Americans have written goals, and less than 1% review and rewrite their goals on a daily basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/according-to-the-best-research-less-than-3-of-americans-have-written/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. 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Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [When you look around the room during meetings and practice, you see that everyone has the same goal. It's obvious by the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kendricks/when-you-look-around-the-room-during-meetings-and-practice-you-see/) Eric Kendricks > [I like to wake up and just feel gratitude. Gratitude for waking up, for my health, for my kids, for my family. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-corcoran/i-like-to-wake-up-and-just-feel-gratitude-gratitude-for-waking-up-for/) [Barbara Corcoran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-corcoran/) > [“Dreams will come true as long as you give some effort towards your goal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayana/dreams-will-come-true-as-long-as-you-give-some-effort-towards-your/) Dayana > [“There are two kinds of people: goal-oriented and ego-oriented. Goal-oriented people work together and get things gone. Ego-oriented people don’t work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charbel-tadros/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-goal-oriented-and-ego-oriented-goal/) [Charbel Tadros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charbel-tadros/) [Browse all 9,890 Goal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ideal goals are a menace in themselves, as much in more modern philosophers as in Plato.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Moses Finley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-as-much-in-more-modern/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Goal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-as-much-in-more-modern/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/moses-finley-35513_goal_ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-a_1297794.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/moses-finley-35513_goal_ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-a_1297794.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/moses-finley-35513_goal_ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-a_1297794.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ideal goals are a menace in themselves, as much in more modern philosophers as in Plato.” — Moses Finley", "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": "Moses Finley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ideal goals are a menace in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-as-much-in-more-modern/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/ideal-goals-are-a-menace-in-themselves-as-much-in-more-modern/#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 } } ] } ```