--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But that we shall be better and braver…" description: "\"“But that we shall be better and braver and less helpless if we think that we ought to enquire, than we should have been if we indulged in the idle fan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/plato-103_courage_but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-a_1040775.jpg" --- # But that we shall be better and braver and less helpless… ![“But that we shall be better and braver and less helpless if we think that we ought to enquire, than we should have been if we indulged in the idle fancy that there was no knowing and no use in seeking to know what we do not know;—that is a theme upon which I am ready to fight, in word and deed, to…” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/plato-103_courage_but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-a_1040775.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/plato-103_courage_but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-a_1040775.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/plato-103_courage_but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-a_1040775.jpg) > ““But that we shall be better and braver and less helpless if we think that we ought to enquire, than we should have been if we indulged in the idle fancy that there was no knowing and no use in seeking to know what we do not know;—that is a theme upon which I am ready to fight, in word and deed, to the utmost of my power.”” [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. Encourages active inquiry over complacent ignorance, arguing that seeking knowledge makes us stronger and more capable. **In simple terms:** Seeking knowledge strengthens us. Key Takeaway Pursue learning actively. Themes knowledge courage self‑improvement Mood inspired determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education - research - personal development - leadership Key Concepts philosophy critical thinking empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What unknowns could you explore today? - How does curiosity shape your resilience? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on rationality may neglect emotional insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Braver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-braver-1364549/) [Braver Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/braver-helpless-2431296/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Fancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fancy/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpless/) [Helpless Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpless-think-2431295/) [Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idle/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Ought Enquire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-enquire-721477/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeking/) [Shall Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-better-884798/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Should have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should-have/) [Should have been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should-have-been/) [Theme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theme/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [...one thing I am ready to fight for as long as I can, in word and act: that is, that we shall be better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/one-thing-i-am-ready-to-fight-for-as-long-as-i-can-in-word-and-act/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [We shall be better, braver, and more active if we believe it right to look for what we don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/we-shall-be-better-braver-and-more-active-if-we-believe-it-right-to/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“Men say that we ought not to enquire into the supreme God and the nature of the universe, nor busy ourselves in searching out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/men-say-that-we-ought-not-to-enquire-into-the-supreme-god-and-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [We will be better and braver if we engage and inquire than if we indulge in the idle fancy that we already know --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/we-will-be-better-and-braver-if-we-engage-and-inquire-than-if-we/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“I am. 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I shall never get better, dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillie-langtry/i-know-i-am-at-the-end-i-shall-never-get-better-dear/) [Lillie Langtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillie-langtry/) > [“If we heed to laws of Holy Bible, our lives shall be better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/if-we-heed-to-laws-of-holy-bible-our-lives-shall-be-better/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Our lives shall be better if, we heed to the pure words of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/our-lives-shall-be-better-if-we-heed-to-the-pure-words-of-god/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Plato > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. 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It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) [James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. 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Having purpose in your life gives you the courage to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/when-you-heed-the-calling-of-your-heart-you-are-following-your/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) > [“Of all the train, none escaped except Wamba, who showed upon the occasion much more courage than those who pretended to greater sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/of-all-the-train-none-escaped-except-wamba-who-showed-upon-the/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/have-the-courage-to-go-against-the-tide-of-current-values-that-do-not/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“There is nothing purer, braver, or more beautiful than the try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-armstrong/there-is-nothing-purer-braver-or-more-beautiful-than-the-try/) [Kristen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-armstrong/) > [“One theory on cannibals, of course, is that they eat parts of their slain enemies to benefit from that person's greatest assets - their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/one-theory-on-cannibals-of-course-is-that-they-eat-parts-of-their/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I have pictures with Morimoto where I'm all embarrassed and he's so serious, it took me 30 minutes to get up the courage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcela-valladolid/i-have-pictures-with-morimoto-where-i-m-all-embarrassed-and-he-s-so/) [Marcela Valladolid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcela-valladolid/) [Browse all 14,559 Courage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But that we shall be better and braver and less helpless if we think that we ought to enquire, than we should have been if we indulged in the idle fancy that there was no knowing and no use in seeking to know what we do not know;—that is a theme upon which I am ready to fight, in word and deed, to the utmost of my power.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-and-less-helpless-if-we-think/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Courage" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-and-less-helpless-if-we-think/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/plato-103_courage_but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-a_1040775.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/plato-103_courage_but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-a_1040775.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/plato-103_courage_but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-a_1040775.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But that we shall be better and braver and less helpless if we think that we ought to enquire, than we…” — 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": "“But that we shall be better...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-and-less-helpless-if-we-think/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-that-we-shall-be-better-and-braver-and-less-helpless-if-we-think/#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 } } ] } ```