--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...that not life, but a good life, is to…" description: "\"...that not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued.\" — Plato" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/plato-103_good-life_that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-c_597215.jpg" --- # ...that not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued. ![“...that not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/plato-103_good-life_that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-c_597215.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/plato-103_good-life_that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-c_597215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/plato-103_good-life_that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-c_597215.jpg) > “...that not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued.” [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 good life is more valuable than mere existence, emphasizing virtue and purpose over simple survival. **In simple terms:** A good life matters more than just living. Key Takeaway Cultivate virtue and purpose. Themes virtue purpose ethics Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal development - education - leadership - community service Key Concepts philosophy eudaimonia Questions to Reflect On - What virtues define your good life? - How do you balance survival and flourishing? A Different Perspective Neglecting material needs can hinder practical well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/not-life-but-good-life-is-to-be-chiefly-valued/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued. —Socrates”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/not-life-but-good-life-is-to-be-chiefly-valued-socrates/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“How do you love yourself? Is it a love which concerns this life chiefly? Is so, you will desire to abide here forever, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-francis-de-sales/how-do-you-love-yourself-is-it-a-love-which-concerns-this-life/) [St. Francis de Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-francis-de-sales/) > [The ways in which most men get their living, that is, live, are mere makeshifts, and a shirking of the real business of life,--chiefly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-ways-in-which-most-men-get-their-living-that-is-live-are-mere/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I try to find the good in life, but good things are hard to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james/i-try-to-find-the-good-in-life-but-good-things-are-hard-to-find/) [James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james/) > [If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-burdens-the-future-with-one-s-worries-it-cannot-grow/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Life, a good life, a great life is about "Why not?" May we never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/life-a-good-life-a-great-life-is-about-why-not-may-we-never-forget-it/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) > [Love one person, take care of them until you die. You know, raise kids. Have a good life. Be a good friend. And try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/love-one-person-take-care-of-them-until-you-die-you-know-raise-kids/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [We would all like to be able to live an uncluttered life, a simple life, a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/we-would-all-like-to-be-able-to-live-an-uncluttered-life-a-simple/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [If you stop complaining and asking for what you never will get, you will have a good life. A good life is not measured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/if-you-stop-complaining-and-asking-for-what-you-never-will-get-you/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by. A life of good days lived in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/there-is-no-shortage-of-good-days-it-is-good-lives-that-are-hard-to/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The dog's life is a good life, for a dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/the-dog-s-life-is-a-good-life-for-a-dog/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“for what is life, a good life, but the accumulation of small pleasures?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-maarten-troost/for-what-is-life-a-good-life-but-the-accumulation-of-small-pleasures/) [J. Maarten Troost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-maarten-troost/) > [“I try to see the good in life But good things in life are hard to find”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daughtry/i-try-to-see-the-good-in-life-but-good-things-in-life-are-hard-to-find/) [Daughtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daughtry/) > [What it's like to be me? You know, it's good to be me. My life is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/what-it-s-like-to-be-me-you-know-it-s-good-to-be-me-my-life-is-good/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) ## 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 Good life quotes > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Remember, success is not measured by heights attained but by obstacles overcome. We're going to pass through many obstacles in our lives: good days,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-jenner/remember-success-is-not-measured-by-heights-attained-but-by-obstacles/) [Bruce Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-jenner/) > [There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-comes-a-time-in-life-when-you-have-to-let-go-of-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We don't need the Good Life. The Pretty Good Life would be just fine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/we-don-t-need-the-good-life-the-pretty-good-life-would-be-just-fine/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [In the games of queens and kings, we leave our dreams at the door and we make do with what we have. Sometimes if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/in-the-games-of-queens-and-kings-we-leave-our-dreams-at-the-door-and/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [A second characteristic of the process which for me is the good life, is that it involves an increasingly tendency to live fully in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/a-second-characteristic-of-the-process-which-for-me-is-the-good-life/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [“A child says ‘Thank God for my good dinner’. What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-child-says-thank-god-for-my-good-dinner-what-can-i-say-at-seventy/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“Our lives together, our duet, also continues to evolve, and even if we can’t go back to how it was, we’re designing a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/our-lives-together-our-duet-also-continues-to-evolve-and-even-if-we/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [There are evidently limits to the achievements of science; and there are irresolvable contradictions both between prosperity and virtue, and between happiness and ''the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-are-evidently-limits-to-the-achievements-of-science-and-there/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/reading-is-a-basic-tool-in-the-living-of-a-good-life/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [I suppose the key to a good life is to gently overlook the truth and hope that at any moment we can all be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-van-booy/i-suppose-the-key-to-a-good-life-is-to-gently-overlook-the-truth-and/) [Simon Van Booy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-van-booy/) > [I consider myself really lucky to have had such a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyjah-huston/i-consider-myself-really-lucky-to-have-had-such-a-good-life/) [Nyjah Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyjah-huston/) > [I've had a good life. Enough happiness, enough success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-landon/i-ve-had-a-good-life-enough-happiness-enough-success/) [Michael Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-landon/) > [An actress always knows when she's hit it and mostly you haven't; but once or twice I think I hit it right, so maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hayes/an-actress-always-knows-when-she-s-hit-it-and-mostly-you-haven-t-but/) [Helen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hayes/) [Browse all 1,320 Good life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "...that not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-chiefly-valued/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-chiefly-valued/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/plato-103_good-life_that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-c_597215.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/plato-103_good-life_that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-c_597215.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/plato-103_good-life_that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-c_597215.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...that not life, but a good life, is to be chiefly valued.” — 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": "...that not life, but a good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-chiefly-valued/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/that-not-life-but-a-good-life-is-to-be-chiefly-valued/#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 } } ] } ```