--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This power came forth out of the Atlantic…" description: "\"“This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an island situated in front of the strait..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/plato-103_atlantic-ocean_this-power-came-forth-out-of-the-atlanti_2838664.jpg" --- # This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in… ![“This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Heracles; the island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and…” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/plato-103_atlantic-ocean_this-power-came-forth-out-of-the-atlanti_2838664.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/plato-103_atlantic-ocean_this-power-came-forth-out-of-the-atlanti_2838664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39f/plato-103_atlantic-ocean_this-power-came-forth-out-of-the-atlanti_2838664.jpg) > ““This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Heracles; the island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean; for this sea which is within the Straits of Heracles is only a harbour, having a narrow entrance, but that other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be most truly called a boundless continent. Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent, and, furthermore, the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya within the columns of Heracles as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia. This vast power, gathered into one, endeavoured to subdue at a blow our country and yours and the whole of the region within the straits; and then, Solon, your country shone forth, in the excellence of her virtue and strength, among all mankind. She was pre-eminent in courage and military skill, and was the leader of the Hellenes. And when the rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from slavery those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the pillars. But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. For which reason the sea in those parts is impassable and impenetrable, because there is a shoal of mud in the way; and this was caused by the subsidence of the island. ”” [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 powerful island empire once dominated surrounding lands but was destroyed by sudden natural disaster, leaving its sea impassable. **In simple terms:** A great civilization fell due to catastrophe. Key Takeaway Recognize the fragility of power. Themes hubris impermanence civilization catastrophe nature Mood reflective somber inquisitive Type historical mythological philosophical When to use this quote - historical analysis - philosophical discussion - teaching ancient history - comparing modern empires - environmental studies Key Concepts Mythology political power geography Questions to Reflect On - What does Atlantis symbolize about human ambition? - How can societies guard against hubris? A Different Perspective The account may be allegorical, not literal historical fact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atlantic ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantic-ocean/) [Atlantis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantis/) [Atlantis Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantis-great-3708667/) [Atlantis Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantis-like-3708669/) [Atlantis Subjected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantis-subjected-3708666/) [Day and night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-and-night/) [Island Atlantis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/island-atlantis-3708668/) [Stand alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-alone/) ## Related quotes > [Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/now-in-this-island-of-atlantis-there-was-a-great-and-wonderful-empire/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [You see, Buddhists are optimists. We never saw sunsets in Atlantis like we do now. We didn't have those great chemicals in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-see-buddhists-are-optimists-we-never-saw-sunsets-in-atlantis-like/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-afterwards-there-occurred-violent-earthquakes-and-floods-and-in-a/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“The men who had inhabited prehistoric Egypt, who had carved the Sphinx and founded the world‘s oldest civilization, were men who had made their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-brunton/the-men-who-had-inhabited-prehistoric-egypt-who-had-carved-the-sphinx/) [Paul Brunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-brunton/) > [“By such reflections and by the continuance in them of a divine nature, th qualities which we have described grew and increased among them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/by-such-reflections-and-by-the-continuance-in-them-of-a-divine-nature/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“For many generations…they obeyed the laws and loved the divine to which they were akin…they reckoned that qualities of character were far more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-many-generations-they-obeyed-the-laws-and-loved-the-divine-to/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Men might as well project a voyage to the Moon as attempt to employ steam navigation against the stormy North Atlantic Ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionysius-lardner/men-might-as-well-project-a-voyage-to-the-moon-as-attempt-to-employ/) [Dionysius Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionysius-lardner/) > [The Atlantic Ocean was something then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/the-atlantic-ocean-was-something-then/) [John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/) > [“People still said that “The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire,” even though the Commonwealth was starting to come apart. In spite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-two/people-still-said-that-the-sun-never-sets-on-the-british-empire-even/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-two/) > [“The state of New York had just one important advantage—an opening to the west through the Appalachian Mountains, the chain that runs in rough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-state-of-new-york-had-just-one-important-advantage-an-opening-to/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Fear and hope are alike beneath it. There is somewhat low even in hope. In the hour of vision, there is nothing that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/fear-and-hope-are-alike-beneath-it-there-is-somewhat-low-even-in-hope/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Force was the factor in the government of the world when Christ was born, and force was the source and exercise of authority both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/force-was-the-factor-in-the-government-of-the-world-when-christ-was/) [Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/) > [“AT&T developed cross-country systems of microwave relay towers, which marched across the countryside from coast to coast and border to border, every 20 to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-t-developed-cross-country-systems-of-microwave-relay-towers-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The very name Impressionism is taken from an Atlantic Ocean painting - that of Monet, of sunrise in the harbor of Le Havre, done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-very-name-impressionism-is-taken-from-an-atlantic-ocean-painting/) [Simon winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) ## 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 Atlantic ocean quotes > [“The very name Impressionism is taken from an Atlantic Ocean painting - that of Monet, of sunrise in the harbor of Le Havre, done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/the-very-name-impressionism-is-taken-from-an-atlantic-ocean-painting/) [Simon winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/) > [“AT&T developed cross-country systems of microwave relay towers, which marched across the countryside from coast to coast and border to border, every 20 to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-t-developed-cross-country-systems-of-microwave-relay-towers-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Force was the factor in the government of the world when Christ was born, and force was the source and exercise of authority both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/force-was-the-factor-in-the-government-of-the-world-when-christ-was/) [Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/) > [“Fear and hope are alike beneath it. There is somewhat low even in hope. In the hour of vision, there is nothing that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/fear-and-hope-are-alike-beneath-it-there-is-somewhat-low-even-in-hope/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The state of New York had just one important advantage—an opening to the west through the Appalachian Mountains, the chain that runs in rough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-state-of-new-york-had-just-one-important-advantage-an-opening-to/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“People still said that “The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire,” even though the Commonwealth was starting to come apart. In spite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-two/people-still-said-that-the-sun-never-sets-on-the-british-empire-even/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-two/) > [The Atlantic Ocean was something then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/the-atlantic-ocean-was-something-then/) [John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/) > [Men might as well project a voyage to the Moon as attempt to employ steam navigation against the stormy North Atlantic Ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionysius-lardner/men-might-as-well-project-a-voyage-to-the-moon-as-attempt-to-employ/) [Dionysius Lardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionysius-lardner/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“The gap between most people’s capacity to conjure beauty from scratch and to merely recognize it when they see it is the width of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-gap-between-most-people-s-capacity-to-conjure-beauty-from-scratch/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“Grand Turk Island is so named because it is the largest island in the Turks Islands, which is the smaller of the two archipelagos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker/grand-turk-island-is-so-named-because-it-is-the-largest-island-in-the/) [Captain Hank Bracker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker/) > [I was very much disappointed in the Atlantic Ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-was-very-much-disappointed-in-the-atlantic-ocean/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“So what if somewhere, back a hundred years and change and across the Atlantic Ocean, some other Watson made best friends with some other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-cavallaro/so-what-if-somewhere-back-a-hundred-years-and-change-and-across-the/) [Brittany Cavallaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-cavallaro/) > [“If I had hoped to skirt the sense of being a stranger in the world by coming to Ghana, then disappointment awaited me. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saidiya-v-hartman/if-i-had-hoped-to-skirt-the-sense-of-being-a-stranger-in-the-world-by/) [Saidiya V. Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saidiya-v-hartman/) > [“Excursion from marrakech offers the possibilty to discover Morocco with all his rich history from his amazing Sahara deserts, imperial cities ( MARRAKECH MEKNES…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/excursion-from-marrakech/excursion-from-marrakech-offers-the-possibilty-to-discover-morocco/) [Excursion from Marrakech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/excursion-from-marrakech/) [Browse all 83 Atlantic ocean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantic-ocean/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This power came forth out of the Atlantic Ocean, for in those days the Atlantic was navigable; and there was an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Heracles; the island was larger than Libya and Asia put together, and was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean; for this sea which is within the Straits of Heracles is only a harbour, having a narrow entrance, but that other is a real sea, and the surrounding land may be most truly called a boundless continent. Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over the whole island and several others, and over parts of the continent, and, furthermore, the men of Atlantis had subjected the parts of Libya within the columns of Heracles as far as Egypt, and of Europe as far as Tyrrhenia. This vast power, gathered into one, endeavoured to subdue at a blow our country and yours and the whole of the region within the straits; and then, Solon, your country shone forth, in the excellence of her virtue and strength, among all mankind. She was pre-eminent in courage and military skill, and was the leader of the Hellenes. And when the rest fell off from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having undergone the very extremity of danger, she defeated and triumphed over the invaders, and preserved from slavery those who were not yet subjugated, and generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the pillars. But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea. 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