---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Socrates and Phaedrus, like Odysseus…"
description: "\"“Socrates and Phaedrus, like Odysseus, must sail by the Sirens without being enchanted: instead of listening to their voices, they will outdo them with..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/silvia-montiglio-90011_plato_socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must_2457971.jpg"
---

#  Socrates and Phaedrus, like Odysseus, must sail by the…

![“Socrates and Phaedrus, like Odysseus, must sail by the Sirens without being enchanted: instead of listening to their voices, they will outdo them with their own logos. . . . Plato's Odysseus does not even let the song of the Sirens enter him but deafens it with his own rational discourse…” quote by Silvia Montiglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/silvia-montiglio-90011_plato_socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must_2457971.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/silvia-montiglio-90011_plato_socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must_2457971.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/silvia-montiglio-90011_plato_socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must_2457971.jpg)

> ““Socrates and Phaedrus, like Odysseus, must sail by the Sirens without being enchanted: instead of listening to their voices, they will outdo them with their own logos. . . . Plato's Odysseus does not even let the song of the Sirens enter him but deafens it with his own rational discourse. Philosophy is itself a Sirens' song, the antidote against the dispersion and drowning of the soul into the body, that is, against the ultimate wandering.””

[Silvia Montiglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvia-montiglio/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Plato’s metaphor compares rational discourse to deafening Siren songs, suggesting philosophy protects the soul from bodily distraction.

**In simple terms:** Philosophy shields the soul from distraction.

Key Takeaway

Use reason to stay focused on higher truths.

Themes

philosophy logic myth selfcontrol discipline metaphor

Mood

contemplative serious inquisitive

Type

plato:1 philosophy sirens:1 plato odysseus:1 logos plato:1 like odysseus:1

When to use this quote

- academic study
- personal meditation
- ethical decision‑making
- creative writing

Key Concepts

Socratic method logos mythic analogy self‑discipline intellectual vigilance

Questions to Reflect On

- Can logic replace all forms of persuasion?
- How do emotions influence rational thought?

A Different Perspective

Rational discourse may not fully capture emotional nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Like Odysseus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-odysseus-626405/) [Logos Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logos-plato-626404/) [Philosophy Sirens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-sirens-626402/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plato/) [Plato Odysseus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plato-odysseus-626403/)

## Related quotes

> [Too many christians have been chargeable with... confounding the Logos of Plato with that of John , and making of it a second person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-priestley/too-many-christians-have-been-chargeable-with-confounding-the-logos/)

[Joseph Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-priestley/)

> [Like Odysseus, the President looked wiser when he was seated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/like-odysseus-the-president-looked-wiser-when-he-was-seated/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [The true artist plays mad with his soul, labors at the very lip of the volcano, but remembers and clings to his purpose, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-true-artist-plays-mad-with-his-soul-labors-at-the-very-lip-of-the/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

> [“...much of poetry in the making is the fiddle with a few items. You lay a word against another and wait. You try another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-raine/much-of-poetry-in-the-making-is-the-fiddle-with-a-few-items-you-lay-a/)

[Craig Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-raine/)

> [I'd rather be like Odysseus than someone who was handed everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-d-rather-be-like-odysseus-than-someone-who-was-handed-everything/)

[Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/)

> [“This is what you should teach me, how to be like Odysseus—how to love my country, wife and father, and how, even after suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/this-is-what-you-should-teach-me-how-to-be-like-odysseus-how-to-love/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [“You are like Odysseus, who could go out onto the great sea, lose all his goods and his friends, come to the boundaries of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-bradshaw/you-are-like-odysseus-who-could-go-out-onto-the-great-sea-lose-all/)

[Gillian Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-bradshaw/)

> [“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/)

> [“What she's learned is what she always learns. Plato was right. We're all of us immortal. We couldn't die if we wanted to. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/what-she-s-learned-is-what-she-always-learns-plato-was-right-we-re/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [During the 2300 years since Plato, very little opposition has been registered to his ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/during-the-2300-years-since-plato-very-little-opposition-has-been/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [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/)

> [Plato compared the intellect to a charioteer guiding the powerful horses of the passions, i.e., he gave it both the power of perception and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-cattell/plato-compared-the-intellect-to-a-charioteer-guiding-the-powerful/)

[Raymond Cattell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-cattell/)

> [I don't want my kids growing up with the image of God that I had -- Plato's white grandfatherly god -- because that god…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/i-don-t-want-my-kids-growing-up-with-the-image-of-god-that-i-had/)

[William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/)

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

## More by Silvia Montiglio

> [“Because of its search for comprehensiveness, his narrative is an organically multidirectional movement rather than a straight journey on a highway interrupted by less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-montiglio/because-of-its-search-for-comprehensiveness-his-narrative-is-an/)

[Silvia Montiglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvia-montiglio/)

[Explore all 2 Silvia Montiglio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvia-montiglio/)

## More Plato quotes

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [I don't want my kids growing up with the image of God that I had -- Plato's white grandfatherly god -- because that god…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/i-don-t-want-my-kids-growing-up-with-the-image-of-god-that-i-had/)

[William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/)

> [Plato compared the intellect to a charioteer guiding the powerful horses of the passions, i.e., he gave it both the power of perception and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-cattell/plato-compared-the-intellect-to-a-charioteer-guiding-the-powerful/)

[Raymond Cattell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-cattell/)

> [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/)

> [During the 2300 years since Plato, very little opposition has been registered to his ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/during-the-2300-years-since-plato-very-little-opposition-has-been/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“What she's learned is what she always learns. Plato was right. We're all of us immortal. We couldn't die if we wanted to. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/what-she-s-learned-is-what-she-always-learns-plato-was-right-we-re/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“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/)

> [Homer, Hesiod, Pythagoras, Plato, and Cicero, just to name a few, all lived in pagan societies. Some of the greatest political and military leaders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-myers/homer-hesiod-pythagoras-plato-and-cicero-just-to-name-a-few-all-lived/)

[Brendan Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-myers/)

> [The great spiritual geniuses, whether it was Moses, Buddha, Plato, Socrates, Jesus, or Emerson… have taught man to look within himself to find God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/the-great-spiritual-geniuses-whether-it-was-moses-buddha-plato/)

[Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/)

> [Plato, the first true pope of philosophy (sorry, Socrates), argued for a World of Forms above the reality-a transcendent plane of perfect essences, pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/plato-the-first-true-pope-of-philosophy-sorry-socrates-argued-for-a/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [Art is the distillate of life, the winnowed result of the experience of a people, the record of the joyous adventure of the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawren-harris/art-is-the-distillate-of-life-the-winnowed-result-of-the-experience/)

[Lawren Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawren-harris/)

> [Others of them employ outward marks ... They style themselves Gnostics. They also possess images, some of them painted and others formed from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irenaeus-of-lyons/others-of-them-employ-outward-marks-they-style-themselves-gnostics/)

[Irenaeus of Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irenaeus-of-lyons/)

> [When something goes wrong, accuse yourself first. Even the wisdom of Plato or Solomon can wobble and go blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/when-something-goes-wrong-accuse-yourself-first-even-the-wisdom-of/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Plato calls complacency the companion of loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/plato-calls-complacency-the-companion-of-loneliness/)

[Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/)

[Browse all 588 Plato quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plato/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Socrates and Phaedrus, like Odysseus, must sail by the Sirens without being enchanted: instead of listening to their voices, they will outdo them with their own logos. . . . Plato's Odysseus does not even let the song of the Sirens enter him but deafens it with his own rational discourse. Philosophy is itself a Sirens' song, the antidote against the dispersion and drowning of the soul into the body, that is, against the ultimate wandering.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Silvia Montiglio"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-montiglio/socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must-sail-by-the-sirens-without/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Plato"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-montiglio/socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must-sail-by-the-sirens-without/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/silvia-montiglio-90011_plato_socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must_2457971.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/silvia-montiglio-90011_plato_socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must_2457971.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/silvia-montiglio-90011_plato_socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must_2457971.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Socrates and Phaedrus, like Odysseus, must sail by the Sirens without being enchanted: instead of listening…” — Silvia Montiglio",
                "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": "Silvia Montiglio",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvia-montiglio/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Socrates and Phaedrus, like Odysseus, must...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-montiglio/socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must-sail-by-the-sirens-without/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-montiglio/socrates-and-phaedrus-like-odysseus-must-sail-by-the-sirens-without/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
