--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: he who would proceed in due course should…" description: "\"“he who would proceed in due course should love first one fair form, and then many, and learn the connexion of them; and from beautiful bodies he shoul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/plato-103_beautiful-mind_he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-shoul_2546350.jpg" --- # he who would proceed in due course should love first one… ![“he who would proceed in due course should love first one fair form, and then many, and learn the connexion of them; and from beautiful bodies he should proceed to beautiful minds, and the beauty of laws and institutions, until he perceives that all beauty is of one kindred; and from institutions…” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/plato-103_beautiful-mind_he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-shoul_2546350.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/plato-103_beautiful-mind_he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-shoul_2546350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/plato-103_beautiful-mind_he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-shoul_2546350.jpg) > ““he who would proceed in due course should love first one fair form, and then many, and learn the connexion of them; and from beautiful bodies he should proceed to beautiful minds, and the beauty of laws and institutions, until he perceives that all beauty is of one kindred; and from institutions he should go on to the sciences, until at last the vision is revealed to him of a single science of universal beauty, and then he will behold the everlasting nature which is the cause of all, and will be near the end. In the contemplation of that supreme being of love he will be purified of earthly leaven, and will behold beauty, not with the bodily eye, but with the eye of the mind, and will bring forth true creations of virtue and wisdom,”” [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 passage describes a progressive ascent from appreciating physical beauty to recognizing a unified, universal beauty in truth and virtue, culminating in spiritual purification. **In simple terms:** Beauty leads from form to truth and wisdom. Key Takeaway Seek deeper understanding beyond appearances. Themes philosophy beauty spirituality education Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - art criticism - academic study - personal meditation - ethical decision making Key Concepts Platonic idealism hierarchy of forms universal truth Questions to Reflect On - How can one balance appreciation of beauty with everyday responsibilities? - What practices help cultivate the “eye of the mind”? A Different Perspective May overlook practical concerns in favor of abstract ideals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-mind/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [All the sleepers in a night of delution beholding so many dreams. In this world of darkness, only those who sever themselves from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-the-sleepers-in-a-night-of-delution-beholding-so-many-dreams-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As I look into the future, I see radical changes in both how people 'attain beauty,' and how the world perceives beauty. In general,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/as-i-look-into-the-future-i-see-radical-changes-in-both-how-people/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [Majesty is a thing of beauty to behold, whatever the particular enterprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-deford/majesty-is-a-thing-of-beauty-to-behold-whatever-the-particular/) [Frank Deford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-deford/) > [“Too much beauty to behold in the breath of being!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/too-much-beauty-to-behold-in-the-breath-of-being/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [True beauty is to behold and reflect the beauty of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-mahaney/true-beauty-is-to-behold-and-reflect-the-beauty-of-god/) [Carolyn Mahaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-mahaney/) > [“She was a light from Heaven, and a beauty for all of us to behold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-w-lord/she-was-a-light-from-heaven-and-a-beauty-for-all-of-us-to-behold/) [J. W. Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-w-lord/) > [EXPRESSIONS Look without! Behold the beauty of the day, The shout of color to glad color, rocks and trees, and sun and seas, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hovey/expressions-look-without-behold-the-beauty-of-the-day-the-shout-of/) [Richard Hovey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hovey/) > [Noble, breathtaking, captivating, Christ-centered femininity is truly a sight to behold. It's a beauty that does not draw attention to the woman, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-ludy/noble-breathtaking-captivating-christ-centered-femininity-is-truly-a/) [Leslie Ludy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-ludy/) > [“Behold the beauty of being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/behold-the-beauty-of-being/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“You might ask if I loved Jonathan for his beauty, and I would answer: that is a pointless question, for his great, uncommon beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alma-katsu/you-might-ask-if-i-loved-jonathan-for-his-beauty-and-i-would-answer/) [Alma Katsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alma-katsu/) > [“If we can only be still, we shall behold, the beauty of a still voice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/if-we-can-only-be-still-we-shall-behold-the-beauty-of-a-still-voice/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [If at times my productions do not express the conventionally beautiful, there is always an effort to express the universal beauty of man's continuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-lawrence/if-at-times-my-productions-do-not-express-the-conventionally/) [Jacob Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-lawrence/) > [The lover knows much more about absolute good and universal beauty than any logician or theologian, unless the latter, too, be lovers in disguise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-lover-knows-much-more-about-absolute-good-and-universal-beauty/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [A universal beauty clothes the world, And one heart seems to beat for all mankind!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-montgomery/a-universal-beauty-clothes-the-world-and-one-heart-seems-to-beat-for/) [Robert Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-montgomery/) > [Within us is the soul of the whole, the wise silence, the universal beauty, the eternal One.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/within-us-is-the-soul-of-the-whole-the-wise-silence-the-universal/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## 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 Beautiful mind quotes > [I've been in, like, kids' clubs... I've been in the Boom Boom Room in New York, and the kids are going, 'Oh my God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-grazer/i-ve-been-in-like-kids-clubs-i-ve-been-in-the-boom-boom-room-in-new/) [Brian Grazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-grazer/) > [As was the case in Requiem for a Dream, Pollock, A Beautiful Mind, House of Sand and Fog, The Hulk and Dark Water, Connelly's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-queenan/as-was-the-case-in-requiem-for-a-dream-pollock-a-beautiful-mind-house/) [Joe Queenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-queenan/) > [It's the beautiful minds of this world that win over beautiful faces. They win hearts by winning minds...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-karina/it-s-the-beautiful-minds-of-this-world-that-win-over-beautiful-faces/) [Anna Karina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-karina/) > [Whatever can be useful to those starving millions is beautiful to my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/whatever-can-be-useful-to-those-starving-millions-is-beautiful-to-my/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“She's an old soul with young eyes, a vintage heart, and a beautiful mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-lyons/she-s-an-old-soul-with-young-eyes-a-vintage-heart-and-a-beautiful-mind/) [Nicole Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-lyons/) > [“Everybody is Beautiful and Unique in Their Own Special Way, Beauty goes Beyond the Outer Appearance. I think it's More Important to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-imani-nkosazana/everybody-is-beautiful-and-unique-in-their-own-special-way-beauty/) [Amaka Imani Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-imani-nkosazana/) > [It is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift is to discover a beautiful heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-good-to-have-a-beautiful-mind-but-an-even-greater-gift-is-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When your desires drop, the world is there, but it is a totally new world. It is so fresh, it is so colorful, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/when-your-desires-drop-the-world-is-there-but-it-is-a-totally-new/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“...unforgivingly, and forcefully magnificent...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maquita-donyel-irvin/unforgivingly-and-forcefully-magnificent/) [Maquita Donyel Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maquita-donyel-irvin/) > [I think it goes without saying that Logic has a strong and powerful message in his artistic deliveries and has a very beautiful mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoh-aalegra/i-think-it-goes-without-saying-that-logic-has-a-strong-and-powerful/) [Snoh Aalegra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoh-aalegra/) > [Remember, you're beautiful. But keep in mind that not everyone's gonna be able to see that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stay-happy/remember-you-re-beautiful-but-keep-in-mind-that-not-everyone-s-gonna/) Stay Happy > [“I plan to take thinking outside the box to a whole new level”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahndra-fon-dufe/i-plan-to-take-thinking-outside-the-box-to-a-whole-new-level/) [Sahndra Fon Dufe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahndra-fon-dufe/) > [A beautiful soul¦ a beautiful mind¦ a beautiful perspective in life¦ These will take you to places you never imagined you can ever go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/a-beautiful-soul-a-beautiful-mind-a-beautiful-perspective-in-life/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [No one has the right to criticize you for how your body looks, but they will. One thing I've learned from experiencing this exact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/no-one-has-the-right-to-criticize-you-for-how-your-body-looks-but/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [“she was completely whole and yet never fully complete”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maquita-donyel-irvin/she-was-completely-whole-and-yet-never-fully-complete/) [Maquita Donyel Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maquita-donyel-irvin/) [Browse all 87 Beautiful mind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-mind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“he who would proceed in due course should love first one fair form, and then many, and learn the connexion of them; and from beautiful bodies he should proceed to beautiful minds, and the beauty of laws and institutions, until he perceives that all beauty is of one kindred; and from institutions he should go on to the sciences, until at last the vision is revealed to him of a single science of universal beauty, and then he will behold the everlasting nature which is the cause of all, and will be near the end. In the contemplation of that supreme being of love he will be purified of earthly leaven, and will behold beauty, not with the bodily eye, but with the eye of the mind, and will bring forth true creations of virtue and wisdom,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-should-love-first-one-fair-form/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beautiful mind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-should-love-first-one-fair-form/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/plato-103_beautiful-mind_he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-shoul_2546350.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/plato-103_beautiful-mind_he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-shoul_2546350.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b8/plato-103_beautiful-mind_he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-shoul_2546350.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“he who would proceed in due course should love first one fair form, and then many, and learn the connexion…” — 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": "“he who would proceed in due...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-should-love-first-one-fair-form/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-who-would-proceed-in-due-course-should-love-first-one-fair-form/#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 } } ] } ```