--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I understood then that I was a fool…" description: "\"“And I understood then that I was a fool when I told you I would take my turn in singing the honours of Love, and admitted I was terribly clever in lov..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/plato-103_eulogy_and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool_2373212.jpg" --- # And I understood then that I was a fool when I told you I… ![“And I understood then that I was a fool when I told you I would take my turn in singing the honours of Love, and admitted I was terribly clever in love affairs, whereas it seems I really had no idea how a eulogy ought to be made. For I was stupid enough to think that we ought to speak the truth…” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/plato-103_eulogy_and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool_2373212.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/plato-103_eulogy_and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool_2373212.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/plato-103_eulogy_and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool_2373212.jpg) > ““And I understood then that I was a fool when I told you I would take my turn in singing the honours of Love, and admitted I was terribly clever in love affairs, whereas it seems I really had no idea how a eulogy ought to be made. For I was stupid enough to think that we ought to speak the truth about each person eulogised, and to make this the foundation, and from these truths to choose the most beautiful things and arrange them in the most elegant way; and I was quite proud to think how well I should speak, because I believed that I knew the truth.”” [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. The speaker admits pretentiousness in eulogizing love, realizing truth is complex and not merely elegant phrasing. **In simple terms:** Pride in eloquence hides true understanding. Key Takeaway Seek humility over style. Themes love pride truth humility Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - public speaking - writing love - relationships Key Concepts rhetoric philosophy self‑deception Questions to Reflect On - What truths are sacrificed for beautiful words? - How can honesty improve praise? A Different Perspective Eulogy may prioritize form over substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eulogised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eulogised-1073588/) [Eulogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eulogy/) [Eulogy Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eulogy-ought-5851629/) [Fool Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-told-3646693/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Admitted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-admitted-246468/) [Speak the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-the-truth/) ## Related quotes > [I was stupid enough to think that we ought to speak the truth about each person eulogised, and to make this the foundation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-was-stupid-enough-to-think-that-we-ought-to-speak-the-truth-about/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When the fool is told a Proverb, its meaning has to be explained to him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/african-proverb/when-the-fool-is-told-a-proverb-its-meaning-has-to-be-explained-to-him/) [African Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/african-proverb/) > [I'm eulogised by a lot of men, but they wouldn't take me home to meet their mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shilpa-shetty/i-m-eulogised-by-a-lot-of-men-but-they-wouldn-t-take-me-home-to-meet/) [Shilpa Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shilpa-shetty/) > [Goku, you fool! We told you! But you wouldn't listen to us! Well, maybe you'll hear this - Your son's dead Goku! He's DEAD!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragon-ball-z/goku-you-fool-we-told-you-but-you-wouldn-t-listen-to-us-well-maybe/) [Dragon Ball Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragon-ball-z/) > [“You don’t believe in fighting for love.” “I might not believe in fighting for love,” she admitted, “but I believe in fighting for you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-parker/you-don-t-believe-in-fighting-for-love-i-might-not-believe-in/) [Morgan Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-parker/) > [“The only person who's ever really hurt me is you. And I keep letting you." "Ellie," he sounded in pain as he took a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/the-only-person-who-s-ever-really-hurt-me-is-you-and-i-keep-letting/) [Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/) > [“I have to tell you something. I lied to you this summer," I told him. "You did?" he asked, puzzled. "Yeah, I'm not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-king/i-have-to-tell-you-something-i-lied-to-you-this-summer-i-told-him-you/) [Tiffany King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-king/) > [“I’ve never been in love,” I admitted. “I’m scared of losing me to be with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-nichols/i-ve-never-been-in-love-i-admitted-i-m-scared-of-losing-me-to-be-with/) [Emma Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-nichols/) > [No one knows whether death is really the greatest blessing a man can have, but they fear it is the greatest curse, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/no-one-knows-whether-death-is-really-the-greatest-blessing-a-man-can/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/no-one-is-more-hated-than-he-who-speaks-the-truth/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [People say, "How would you like to be remembered?" I don't want to be remembered. Gimme a break. What I want is to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/people-say-how-would-you-like-to-be-remembered-i-don-t-want-to-be/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I love eulogies. They are the most moving kind of speech because they attempt to pluck meaning from the fog, and on short order,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/i-love-eulogies-they-are-the-most-moving-kind-of-speech-because-they/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [“KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/kingdom-of-the-womb-from-her-thighs-she-gives-you-life-and-how-you/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“I feel like I just went to my own funeral. and I didn’t like the eulogy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-pryce/i-feel-like-i-just-went-to-my-own-funeral-and-i-didn-t-like-the-eulogy/) [Lane Pryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-pryce/) > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) ## 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 Eulogy quotes > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [“I feel like I just went to my own funeral. and I didn’t like the eulogy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-pryce/i-feel-like-i-just-went-to-my-own-funeral-and-i-didn-t-like-the-eulogy/) [Lane Pryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-pryce/) > [“KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/kingdom-of-the-womb-from-her-thighs-she-gives-you-life-and-how-you/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [I love eulogies. They are the most moving kind of speech because they attempt to pluck meaning from the fog, and on short order,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/i-love-eulogies-they-are-the-most-moving-kind-of-speech-because-they/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [People say, "How would you like to be remembered?" I don't want to be remembered. Gimme a break. What I want is to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/people-say-how-would-you-like-to-be-remembered-i-don-t-want-to-be/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Do you know what I am going to tell you, he said with his wry mouth, a pint of plain is your only man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/do-you-know-what-i-am-going-to-tell-you-he-said-with-his-wry-mouth-a/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“Taabini hii ni ngumu sana kwangu kuandika pamoja na kwamba ni miaka mitatu kamili toka giza liingie. Mwaka 2014, Novemba 4, nilimpoteza bibi yangu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/taabini-hii-ni-ngumu-sana-kwangu-kuandika-pamoja-na-kwamba-ni-miaka/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [“The setting sun threatened to consume me—it could have, you know. It would have been a beautiful death with an honorable eulogy: slain by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chila-woychik/the-setting-sun-threatened-to-consume-me-it-could-have-you-know-it/) [Chila Woychik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chila-woychik/) > [Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/our-birth-is-but-a-sleep-and-a-forgetting-the-soul-that-rises-with-us-2/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“ Robert G. Ingersoll was a great man. a wonderful intellect, a great soul of matchless courage, one of the great men of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/robert-g-ingersoll-was-a-great-man-a-wonderful-intellect-a-great-soul/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [“I thought I saw you today, but that was just hope. I heard the sound of your voice in the last wave of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/broms-the-poet/i-thought-i-saw-you-today-but-that-was-just-hope-i-heard-the-sound-of/) [Broms The Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/broms-the-poet/) > [“Writing our eulogy can be a wake-up call to prioritize what truly matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-izad/writing-our-eulogy-can-be-a-wake-up-call-to-prioritize-what-truly/) [Sam Izad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-izad/) > [I fall asleep in the full and certain hope That my slumber shall not be broken; And that, though I be all-forgetting, Yet shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/i-fall-asleep-in-the-full-and-certain-hope-that-my-slumber-shall-not/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [Do all the good you can, by all the means you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/do-all-the-good-you-can-by-all-the-means-you-can/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) [Browse all 159 Eulogy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eulogy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And I understood then that I was a fool when I told you I would take my turn in singing the honours of Love, and admitted I was terribly clever in love affairs, whereas it seems I really had no idea how a eulogy ought to be made. For I was stupid enough to think that we ought to speak the truth about each person eulogised, and to make this the foundation, and from these truths to choose the most beautiful things and arrange them in the most elegant way; and I was quite proud to think how well I should speak, because I believed that I knew the truth.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool-when-i-told-you-i-would-take/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eulogy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool-when-i-told-you-i-would-take/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/plato-103_eulogy_and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool_2373212.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/plato-103_eulogy_and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool_2373212.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/plato-103_eulogy_and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool_2373212.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And I understood then that I was a fool when I told you I would take my turn in singing the honours of Love…” — 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": "“And I understood then that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool-when-i-told-you-i-would-take/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/and-i-understood-then-that-i-was-a-fool-when-i-told-you-i-would-take/#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 } } ] } ```