---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The good man is the only excellent…"
description: "\"The good man is the only excellent musician, because he gives forth a perfect harmony not with a lyre or other instrument but with the whole of his lif..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/plato-103_excellent_the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-music_940524.jpg"
---

#  The good man is the only excellent musician, because he…

![“The good man is the only excellent musician, because he gives forth a perfect harmony not with a lyre or other instrument but with the whole of his life.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/plato-103_excellent_the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-music_940524.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/plato-103_excellent_the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-music_940524.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/plato-103_excellent_the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-music_940524.jpg)

> “The good man is the only excellent musician, because he gives forth a perfect harmony not with a lyre or other instrument but with the whole of his life.”

[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 virtuous person creates harmony in life, not through external tools but through inner excellence.

**In simple terms:** Goodness creates life harmony.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner virtue.

Themes

virtue harmony excellence

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal development
- leadership
- teaching
- community building

Key Concepts

philosophy ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you align daily actions with inner values?
- What habits foster life harmony?

A Different Perspective

External tools cannot replace inner moral development.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Perfect harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-harmony/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/)

## Related quotes

> [“Balt Van Tassel was an easy indulgent soul; he loved his daughter better even than his pipe, and, like a reasonable man and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/balt-van-tassel-was-an-easy-indulgent-soul-he-loved-his-daughter/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A very talented player and all around excellent musician. I love hearing his records on radio!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-mulligan/a-very-talented-player-and-all-around-excellent-musician-i-love/)

[Gerry Mulligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-mulligan/)

> [“She (Tamara Thorne) has this fascinating way of wrapping herself around the things I write and bringing out the best in my writing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/she-tamara-thorne-has-this-fascinating-way-of-wrapping-herself-around/)

[Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/)

> [As Eastern thought has begun to interest a significant number of people, and meditation is no longer viewed with ridicule or suspicion, mysticism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/as-eastern-thought-has-begun-to-interest-a-significant-number-of/)

[Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/)

> [“Existence is mathematical music, and all of us are the instruments playing the cosmic symphony. Our task is simple - to arrive not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-madison/existence-is-mathematical-music-and-all-of-us-are-the-instruments/)

Steve Madison

> [Beauty is in the ideal of perfect harmony which is in the universal being; truth the perfect comprehension of the universal mind. We individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/beauty-is-in-the-ideal-of-perfect-harmony-which-is-in-the-universal/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [Ballroom is two people dancing together to music, touching in perfect harmony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-du-beke/ballroom-is-two-people-dancing-together-to-music-touching-in-perfect/)

[Anton du Beke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-du-beke/)

> [Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/happiness-is-not-a-matter-of-intensity-but-of-balance-and-order-and/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [“And above all, clothe yourself with love, which binds us all in perfect harmony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colossians-3-14/and-above-all-clothe-yourself-with-love-which-binds-us-all-in-perfect/)

Colossians 3 14

> [The union of opposites, in so far as they are really complementary, always results in the most perfect harmony; and the seemingly incongruous is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-union-of-opposites-in-so-far-as-they-are-really-complementary/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [It is said that a hundred gamecocks will live in perfect harmony together it you do not put a hen with them; and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-baldwin-longstreet/it-is-said-that-a-hundred-gamecocks-will-live-in-perfect-harmony/)

[Augustus Baldwin Longstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-baldwin-longstreet/)

> [The doctrine of eternal punishment is in perfect harmony with the savagery of the men who made the orthodox creeds. It is in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-doctrine-of-eternal-punishment-is-in-perfect-harmony-with-the/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [The seed has no idea of being some particular plant, but it has its own form and is in perfect harmony with the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-seed-has-no-idea-of-being-some-particular-plant-but-it-has-its/)

[Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/)

> [For neither birth, nor wealth, nor honors, can awaken in the minds of men the principles which should guide those who from their youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-neither-birth-nor-wealth-nor-honors-can-awaken-in-the-minds-of/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [I've prided myself on being in excellent condition-as good as any man in my profession. Now this doesn't come from sitting around on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilt-chamberlain/i-ve-prided-myself-on-being-in-excellent-condition-as-good-as-any-man/)

[Wilt Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilt-chamberlain/)

## 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 Excellent quotes

> [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/)

John Whiting

> [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I would rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent than in the extent of my powers and dominion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/i-would-rather-excel-others-in-the-knowledge-of-what-is-excellent/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [“I follow the Law—the Most Excellent Law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/i-follow-the-law-the-most-excellent-law/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [David Cronenberg is the most provocative, original, and consistently excellent North American director of his generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-hoberman/david-cronenberg-is-the-most-provocative-original-and-consistently/)

J. Hoberman

> [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Drill in exact translation is an excellent way of disposing the mind against that looseness and exaggeration with which the sensationalists have corrupted our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/drill-in-exact-translation-is-an-excellent-way-of-disposing-the-mind/)

[Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/)

> [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/)

[Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/)

> [President Bush has had an outstanding Secretary of State in Colin Powell and there are not many people who could replace him, making Condoleezza…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/president-bush-has-had-an-outstanding-secretary-of-state-in-colin/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Whatever we may say against collections, which present authors in a disjointed form, they nevertheless bring about many excellent results. We are not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/whatever-we-may-say-against-collections-which-present-authors-in-a/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [Many persons have been confused and discouraged at the very outset of the study by the great variety and the delicate distinctions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-staunton/many-persons-have-been-confused-and-discouraged-at-the-very-outset-of/)

[Howard Staunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-staunton/)

> [Mindfulness is being aware of yourself, others, and your surroundings in the moment. When consciously and kindly focusing awareness on life as it unfolds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-thoele/mindfulness-is-being-aware-of-yourself-others-and-your-surroundings/)

[Sue Thoele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-thoele/)

Browse all 1,413 Excellent quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The good man is the only excellent musician, because he gives forth a perfect harmony not with a lyre or other instrument but with the whole of his life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Plato"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-musician-because-he-gives-forth-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Excellent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-musician-because-he-gives-forth-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/plato-103_excellent_the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-music_940524.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/plato-103_excellent_the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-music_940524.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/100/plato-103_excellent_the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-music_940524.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The good man is the only excellent musician, because he gives forth a perfect harmony not with a lyre or…” — 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": "The good man is the only...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-musician-because-he-gives-forth-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-good-man-is-the-only-excellent-musician-because-he-gives-forth-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
