--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good man cannot be harmed either in…" description: "\"A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death, and his affairs are not neglected by the gods.\" — Plato" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/plato-103_affair_a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-li_700067.jpg" --- # A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death… ![“A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death, and his affairs are not neglected by the gods.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/plato-103_affair_a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-li_700067.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/plato-103_affair_a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-li_700067.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/plato-103_affair_a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-li_700067.jpg) > “A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death, and his affairs are not neglected by the gods.” [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A virtuous person remains untouched by fate, and divine forces do not overlook his matters. **In simple terms:** A good man is safe from harm and divine neglect. Key Takeaway Live virtuously, trust in cosmic order. Themes virtue fate divine justice Mood reflective calm Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal integrity - leadership - ethical decision making - public service Key Concepts Stoicism Platonic ethics Questions to Reflect On - Do you believe moral character shields you from misfortune? - How do you interpret divine indifference? A Different Perspective Even the virtuous can face unexpected setbacks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Affairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affairs/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Affairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-affairs-5544094/) [Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Neglected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neglected/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/nothing-in-the-affairs-of-men-is-worthy-of-great-anxiety/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Emotional affairs, those are the only real affairs; those are the real ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/emotional-affairs-those-are-the-only-real-affairs-those-are-the-real/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [“I never meant for you to see that.” “Of course, you wouldn't want me to see that. It's much more difficult to pull off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cricket-rohman/i-never-meant-for-you-to-see-that-of-course-you-wouldn-t-want-me-to/) [Cricket Rohman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cricket-rohman/) > [...What disturbed him was the discovery that in sensibly ordering his affairs he had got out of step, and not into step, with Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/what-disturbed-him-was-the-discovery-that-in-sensibly-ordering-his/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Love affairs are the real only education in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dietrich/love-affairs-are-the-real-only-education-in-life/) [Marlene Dietrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dietrich/) > [“We were hooked when we woke. We had arms for each other. But I yearned to resume My dreams of another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/we-were-hooked-when-we-woke-we-had-arms-for-each-other-but-i-yearned/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“I won't stay in with married men any more said the wise girl they're too agreeable, it's a little too much like curling up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-won-t-stay-in-with-married-men-any-more-said-the-wise-girl-they-re/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Bill Clinton is a man who thinks international affairs means dating a girl from out of town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/bill-clinton-is-a-man-who-thinks-international-affairs-means-dating-a/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Wealth is the sinews of affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-bion/wealth-is-the-sinews-of-affairs/) [Wilfred Bion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-bion/) > [I have long believed that women should play a much bigger part in our affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-grimond/i-have-long-believed-that-women-should-play-a-much-bigger-part-in-our/) [Jo Grimond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-grimond/) > [For most affairs, this eventually becomes the most fundamental of questions, the only one that matters: Do we love each other more than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/for-most-affairs-this-eventually-becomes-the-most-fundamental-of/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [ In Stage I, divorces were not allowed, so men's \[sexual\] affairs did not put women's economic security in jeopardy; in Stage II, affairs could… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-stage-i-divorces-were-not-allowed-so-men-s-sexual-affairs-did-not/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [International affairs is very much run like the mafia. The godfather does not accept disobedience, even from a small storekeeper who doesn't pay his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/international-affairs-is-very-much-run-like-the-mafia-the-godfather/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [When the Veterans Affairs Department implemented a program to provide home-based health care to veterans with multiple chronic conditions - many of the system's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-wyden/when-the-veterans-affairs-department-implemented-a-program-to-provide/) [Ron Wyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-wyden/) > [“I’m not going to deny that I want to fuck you. I can’t promise a future or that I’ll be some sniveling boyfriend who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-hess/i-m-not-going-to-deny-that-i-want-to-fuck-you-i-can-t-promise-a/) [D.L. Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-hess/) ## More by Plato > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [You may be sure, dear Crito, that inaccurate language is not only in itself a mistake: it implants evil in men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-may-be-sure-dear-crito-that-inaccurate-language-is-not-only-in/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-men-learn-this-it-will-implant-forgetfulness-in-their-souls-they/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-do-not-think-it-is-permitted-that-a-better-man-be-harmed-by-a-worse/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-as-nobody-may-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“The love of man to woman is a thing common and of course, and at first partakes more of instinct and passion than of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-love-of-man-to-woman-is-a-thing-common-and-of-course-and-at-first/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“He was a wise man who invented God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-was-a-wise-man-who-invented-god/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [For let me tell you, that the more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-let-me-tell-you-that-the-more-the-pleasures-of-the-body-fade-away/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“What shall we say about those spectators, then, who can see a plurality of beautiful things, but not beauty itself, and who are incapable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/what-shall-we-say-about-those-spectators-then-who-can-see-a-plurality/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Geometry existed before creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/geometry-existed-before-creation/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so that nobody will believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-that-nobody-will-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [We must, if we are to be consistent, and if we re to have a real pedigree herd, mate the best of our men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/we-must-if-we-are-to-be-consistent-and-if-we-re-to-have-a-real/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) [Explore all 1,278 Plato quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More Affair quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) [Michael Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atherton/) > [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death, and his affairs are not neglected by the gods.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-life-or-in-death-and-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affair" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-life-or-in-death-and-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/plato-103_affair_a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-li_700067.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/plato-103_affair_a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-li_700067.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ea/plato-103_affair_a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-li_700067.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death, and his affairs are not neglected by the gods.” — Plato", "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": "Plato", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A good man cannot be harmed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-life-or-in-death-and-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/a-good-man-cannot-be-harmed-either-in-life-or-in-death-and-his/#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 } } ] } ```