Skip to content

Change Quote by Plato

“Let us reflect in another way, and we shall see that there is great reason to hope that death is a good; for one of two things—either death is a state of nothingness and utter unconsciousness, or, as men say, there is a change and migration of the soul from this world to another. Now if you…” quote by Plato
Download Open image
““Let us reflect in another way, and we shall see that there is great reason to hope that death is a good; for one of two things—either death is a state of nothingness and utter unconsciousness, or, as men say, there is a change and migration of the soul from this world to another. Now if you suppose that there is no consciousness, but a sleep like the sleep of him who is undisturbed even by dreams, death will be an unspeakable gain. For if a person were to select the night in which his sleep was undisturbed even by dreams, and were to compare with this the other days and nights of his life, and then were to tell us how many days and nights he had passed in the course of his life better and more pleasantly than this one, I think that any man, I will not say a private man, but even the great king will not find many such days or nights, when compared with the others. Now if death be of such a nature, I say that to die is gain; for eternity is then only a single night. But if death is the journey to another place, and there, as men say, all the dead abide, what good, O my friends and judges, can be greater than this?””

Plato

About This Quote

Source Dialogue: Phaedo, 4th century BCE

He argues death may be a gain, either as peaceful non‑consciousness or a soul’s migration, suggesting life’s best moments are rare.

In simple terms: Death could be a gain, either as nothingness or a soul’s journey.

Key Takeaway

Consider death as a possible release.

Themes

mortality hope philosophy

Mood

contemplative serene

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

  • grief counseling
  • spiritual reflection
  • ethical debates

Key Concepts

death as gain soul migration ephemeral joy

Questions to Reflect On

  • Is death truly a gain or a loss?
  • How does this view influence how we live?
A Different Perspective

May ignore the fear of unknown afterlife.

4.7 out of 5 (7 ratings)

More by Plato

Explore all 1,278 Plato quotes

More Change quotes

Browse all 33,963 Change quotes