--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: in a family there may be several…" description: "\"“in a family there may be several brothers, and the bad may be a majority; and when the bad majority conquer the good minority, the family are worse th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38f/plato-103_brotherhood_in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brother_2251684.jpg" --- # in a family there may be several brothers, and the bad may… ![“in a family there may be several brothers, and the bad may be a majority; and when the bad majority conquer the good minority, the family are worse than themselves.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38f/plato-103_brotherhood_in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brother_2251684.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38f/plato-103_brotherhood_in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brother_2251684.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38f/plato-103_brotherhood_in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brother_2251684.jpg) > ““in a family there may be several brothers, and the bad may be a majority; and when the bad majority conquer the good minority, the family are worse than themselves.”” [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. When immoral individuals dominate, the whole community suffers greater harm than the individuals themselves. **In simple terms:** Bad majority harms the whole group. Key Takeaway Guard against corrupt majorities. Themes ethics politics society justice Mood critical reflective Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - government - corporate boards - community groups - online forums Key Concepts philosophy collective responsibility morality Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms protect minorities from majority tyranny? - How can ethical standards be enforced in groups? A Different Perspective Majorities can be corrected by strong institutions and dissenting voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-majority-3249474/) [Brotherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherhood/) [Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-brothers-1239243/) [Family Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-worse-5146266/) [Minority Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minority-family-5146267/) ## Related quotes > [Until one has some kind of professional relationship with books, one does not discover how bad the majority of them are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/until-one-has-some-kind-of-professional-relationship-with-books-one/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I came from a big family - two brothers and two sisters. So, there were always a ton of boys around and a ton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-lively/i-came-from-a-big-family-two-brothers-and-two-sisters-so-there-were/) [Blake Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-lively/) > [I come from a big family of brothers and sisters and family dramas and honor and dishonor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-basco/i-come-from-a-big-family-of-brothers-and-sisters-and-family-dramas/) [Dante Basco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-basco/) > [I was always a big guy. You see my family - my brothers are the same size.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adebayo-akinfenwa/i-was-always-a-big-guy-you-see-my-family-my-brothers-are-the-same-size/) [Adebayo Akinfenwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adebayo-akinfenwa/) > [The Duke family, those are my brothers, and it's something I'll always take with me. Coach K, he gives me a lot of motivational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-ingram/the-duke-family-those-are-my-brothers-and-it-s-something-i-ll-always/) [Brandon Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-ingram/) > [I owe my mum a sense of family. She has kept our family together. I have two brothers and a sister, and they all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-owe-my-mum-a-sense-of-family-she-has-kept-our-family-together-i/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [I have two older brothers. My twin Rob and I are the youngest in the family, and our brothers were born in '76 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/i-have-two-older-brothers-my-twin-rob-and-i-are-the-youngest-in-the/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) > [My family suffered very major losses during the Second World War, that's true. In my father's family, there were five brothers. I think four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/my-family-suffered-very-major-losses-during-the-second-world-war-that/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [I come from a family of four brothers, so I like sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-come-from-a-family-of-four-brothers-so-i-like-sports/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I had a wonderful childhood in Antigua growing up in a family with three other brothers and no sisters, so you can imagine the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-richards/i-had-a-wonderful-childhood-in-antigua-growing-up-in-a-family-with/) [Viv Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-richards/) > [In our family, my brothers and I shared toys. In other words, just because it was mine didn't mean my brothers and I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-keaton/in-our-family-my-brothers-and-i-shared-toys-in-other-words-just/) [Michael Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-keaton/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) > [I have 10 brothers and sisters. My mother raised us because my father died when I was 8.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/i-have-10-brothers-and-sisters-my-mother-raised-us-because-my-father/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [Please be slow to judge ‘brothers’ who have a different calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/please-be-slow-to-judge-brothers-who-have-a-different-calling/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [Brothers all In honour, as in one community, Scholars and gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/brothers-all-in-honour-as-in-one-community-scholars-and-gentlemen/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) ## 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 Brotherhood quotes > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [Saying that the origin of the Islamic State (IS) is within the Muslim Brotherhood organisation only strengthens IS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/saying-that-the-origin-of-the-islamic-state-is-is-within-the-muslim/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [“All the same I keep on looking for someone incomprehensible who won't understand me either, because I have a terrible thirst for brotherhood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-ajar/all-the-same-i-keep-on-looking-for-someone-incomprehensible-who-won-t/) [Emile Ajar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-ajar/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Brothers all In honour, as in one community, Scholars and gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/brothers-all-in-honour-as-in-one-community-scholars-and-gentlemen/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [This is me and my older brother alasandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother/this-is-me-and-my-older-brother-alasandro/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brother/) > [You may call for peace as loudly as you wish, but where there is no brotherhood there can in the end be no peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lerner/you-may-call-for-peace-as-loudly-as-you-wish-but-where-there-is-no/) [Max Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lerner/) > [Forgiving the men who killed my parents and brother was a process, a journey into deeper and deeper prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immaculee-ilibagiza/forgiving-the-men-who-killed-my-parents-and-brother-was-a-process-a/) [Immaculee Ilibagiza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immaculee-ilibagiza/) > [Overall, we had about 50 meetings where the brothers would say that I couldn't do any solo records, I couldn't write for other people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/overall-we-had-about-50-meetings-where-the-brothers-would-say-that-i/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [Please be slow to judge ‘brothers’ who have a different calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/please-be-slow-to-judge-brothers-who-have-a-different-calling/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [My brothers and I would try to talk our dad into letting us stay up and watch 'Star Trek.' I remember watching it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/my-brothers-and-i-would-try-to-talk-our-dad-into-letting-us-stay-up/) [Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/) > [I work incredibly hard - just like every other person in business and work. And aside from the fact of, yes, I am the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-william-middleton/i-work-incredibly-hard-just-like-every-other-person-in-business-and/) [James William Middleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-william-middleton/) > [I have 10 brothers and sisters. My mother raised us because my father died when I was 8.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/i-have-10-brothers-and-sisters-my-mother-raised-us-because-my-father/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [A League of Their Own' had some special meaning for me, I guess - it's about women joining together and being empowered, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-wilson/a-league-of-their-own-had-some-special-meaning-for-me-i-guess-it-s/) [Rebel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-wilson/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) [Browse all 3,733 Brotherhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherhood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“in a family there may be several brothers, and the bad may be a majority; and when the bad majority conquer the good minority, the family are worse than themselves.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brothers-and-the-bad-may-be-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brotherhood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brothers-and-the-bad-may-be-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38f/plato-103_brotherhood_in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brother_2251684.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38f/plato-103_brotherhood_in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brother_2251684.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38f/plato-103_brotherhood_in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brother_2251684.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“in a family there may be several brothers, and the bad may be a majority; and when the bad majority conquer…” — 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": "“in a family there may be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brothers-and-the-bad-may-be-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/in-a-family-there-may-be-several-brothers-and-the-bad-may-be-a/#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 } } ] } ```