Philosophy Quote by Plato
![“In practice people who study philosophy too long become very odd birds, not to say thoroughly vicious; while even those who are the best of them are reduced by...[philosophy] to complete uselessness as members of society.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e19/plato-103_philosophy_in-practice-people-who-study-philosophy_1900170.jpg)
““In practice people who study philosophy too long become very odd birds, not to say thoroughly vicious; while even those who are the best of them are reduced by...[philosophy] to complete uselessness as members of society.””
About This Quote
Source Dialogue: The Republic, Book VII, Plato, c. 380 BC
Excessive philosophical study can isolate individuals, making them impractical and harmful to society.
In simple terms: Too much philosophy can make people odd and useless.
Key Takeaway
Balance study with real-world engagement.
Themes
philosophy
society
practicality
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic life
- public service
- community leadership
Key Concepts
alienation
uselessness
viciousness
Questions to Reflect On
- How can philosophers stay grounded?
- What role should philosophy play in everyday life?
A Different Perspective
Philosophical insight may not translate into practical skills.
![“Philosophy... is indeed outrageous, inherently so. It seeks to disquiet the foundations of our lives and to offer us in recompense nothing better than itself- and this on the basis of no expert knowledge, of nothing closed to the ordinary human being, once... [one] lets himself or herself be…” quote by Stanley Cavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/42e/stanley-cavell-33068_ambition_philosophy-is-indeed-outrageous-inherent_1061620.jpg)
![“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions of phantasmatical seeming philosophy." [William Petty]” quote by Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e5a/carl-zimmer-16331_knowledge_i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted_1770.jpg)
