--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a strange thing that which men call…" description: "\"“What a strange thing that which men call pleasure seems to be, and how astonishing the relation it has with what is thought to be its opposite, namely..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/plato-103_quote_what-a-strange-thing-that-which-men-call_1580697.jpg" --- # What a strange thing that which men call pleasure seems to… ![“What a strange thing that which men call pleasure seems to be, and how astonishing the relation it has with what is thought to be its opposite, namely pain! A man cannot have both at the same time. Yet if he pursues and catches the one, he is almost always bound to catch the other also, like two…” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/plato-103_quote_what-a-strange-thing-that-which-men-call_1580697.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/plato-103_quote_what-a-strange-thing-that-which-men-call_1580697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bf/plato-103_quote_what-a-strange-thing-that-which-men-call_1580697.jpg) > ““What a strange thing that which men call pleasure seems to be, and how astonishing the relation it has with what is thought to be its opposite, namely pain! A man cannot have both at the same time. Yet if he pursues and catches the one, he is almost always bound to catch the other also, like two creatures with one head.”” [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. Pleasure and pain are intimately linked; seeking one often brings the other, showing they are two sides of the same coin. **In simple terms:** Pleasure and pain are connected. Key Takeaway Recognize the dual nature of desire. Themes philosophy psychology ethics Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal decision - mental health - spiritual practice - addiction recovery Key Concepts dualism hedonism human nature Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance seeking pleasure with avoiding pain? - What does this duality reveal about human motivation? A Different Perspective Pleasure can dominate rational choice, leading to imbalance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) ## Related quotes > [Those good men who take such pleasure in relieving the miserable for Christ's sake, would not have been less forward to minister onto Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-atterbury/those-good-men-who-take-such-pleasure-in-relieving-the-miserable-for/) [Francis Atterbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-atterbury/) > [In war, hunting, and love, men for one pleasure a thousand griefes prove.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-war-hunting-and-love-men-for-one-pleasure-a-thousand-griefes-prove/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“ 'Legs are for men's pleasure, breasts are for babies'.' " - Lib McGovern”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-frank/legs-are-for-men-s-pleasure-breasts-are-for-babies-lib-mcgovern/) [Pat Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-frank/) > [“He had been contemptuous of those who wrecked. You did not have to like it because you understood it. He could beat anything, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/he-had-been-contemptuous-of-those-who-wrecked-you-did-not-have-to/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [The worst pain a man can have is to know much and be impotent to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/the-worst-pain-a-man-can-have-is-to-know-much-and-be-impotent-to-act/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [The worst pain a man can suffer: to have insight into much and power over nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/the-worst-pain-a-man-can-suffer-to-have-insight-into-much-and-power/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [“By ignoble whips of pain, man is driven at last into the Infinite Presence, whose beauty alone should lure him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/by-ignoble-whips-of-pain-man-is-driven-at-last-into-the-infinite/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/he-who-makes-a-beast-out-of-himself-gets-rid-of-the-pain-of-being-a/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [“What is pain to a man? A privilege!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/what-is-pain-to-a-man-a-privilege/) [James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/) > [Jealousy is that pain which a man feels from the apprehension that he is not equally beloved by the person whom he entirely loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/jealousy-is-that-pain-which-a-man-feels-from-the-apprehension-that-he/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [A doctor is fascinated by death, and pain. And how much pain a man can endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boehm/a-doctor-is-fascinated-by-death-and-pain-and-how-much-pain-a-man-can/) David Boehm > [The person who grieves suffers his passion to grow upon him; he indulges it, he loves it; but this never happens in the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-person-who-grieves-suffers-his-passion-to-grow-upon-him-he/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The servant carries the bags of money on his head, but it goes to his master's house, and he receives only pain. The man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-guru-granth-sahib/the-servant-carries-the-bags-of-money-on-his-head-but-it-goes-to-his/) [Sri Guru Granth Sahib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-guru-granth-sahib/) > [Well one man's trash is another man's treasure One man's pain is another man's pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole/well-one-man-s-trash-is-another-man-s-treasure-one-man-s-pain-is/) [J Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole/) > [Only a warrior can survive the path of knowledge because the art of the warrior is to balance the pain of being a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/only-a-warrior-can-survive-the-path-of-knowledge-because-the-art-of/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) ## 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 Pleasure quotes > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [No verse can give pleasure for long, nor last, that is written by drinkers of water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/no-verse-can-give-pleasure-for-long-nor-last-that-is-written-by/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [“He made me feel like I was nothing but a set of warm holes for him to pleasure himself with. And he made me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-starling/he-made-me-feel-like-i-was-nothing-but-a-set-of-warm-holes-for-him-to/) [Isabella Starling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-starling/) > [No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/no-state-of-society-or-laws-can-render-men-so-much-alike-but-that/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [In Britain, the press want to kill a show by revealing what's coming up and spoiling the pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-bonneville/in-britain-the-press-want-to-kill-a-show-by-revealing-what-s-coming/) [Hugh Bonneville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-bonneville/) [Browse all 7,692 Pleasure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What a strange thing that which men call pleasure seems to be, and how astonishing the relation it has with what is thought to be its opposite, namely pain! 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