--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know how much I used to like Plato…" description: "\"“You know how much I used to like Plato. Today I realize he lied. For the things of this world are not a reflection of the ideal, but a product of huma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ce/tadeusz-borowski-29599_death_you-know-how-much-i-used-to-like-plato-t_452778.png" --- # You know how much I used to like Plato. Today I realize he… ![“You know how much I used to like Plato. Today I realize he lied. For the things of this world are not a reflection of the ideal, but a product of human sweat, blood and hard labour. It is we who built the pyramids, hewed the marble for the temples and the rocks for the imperial roads, we who…” quote by Tadeusz Borowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ce/tadeusz-borowski-29599_death_you-know-how-much-i-used-to-like-plato-t_452778.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ce/tadeusz-borowski-29599_death_you-know-how-much-i-used-to-like-plato-t_452778.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ce/tadeusz-borowski-29599_death_you-know-how-much-i-used-to-like-plato-t_452778.png) > ““You know how much I used to like Plato. Today I realize he lied. For the things of this world are not a reflection of the ideal, but a product of human sweat, blood and hard labour. It is we who built the pyramids, hewed the marble for the temples and the rocks for the imperial roads, we who pulled the oars in the galleys and dragged wooden ploughs, while they wrote dialogues and dramas, rationalized their intrigues by appeals in the name of the Fatherland, made wars over boundaries and democracies. We were filthy and died real deaths. They were 'aesthetic' and carried on subtle debates. There can be no beauty if it is paid for by human injustice, nor truth that passes over injustice in silence, nor moral virtue that condones it.”” [Tadeusz Borowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadeusz-borowski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human labor and suffering create reality; idealized art often ignores the brutal truth of its foundations. **In simple terms:** Real work builds the world, not lofty ideas. Key Takeaway Recognize the cost behind achievements. Themes labor reality art ethics history Mood somber reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - construction of monuments - war - agricultural work - shipbuilding - philosophical debate Key Concepts materialism existentialism moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are hidden behind cultural achievements? - How do we honor labor without glorifying oppression? A Different Perspective Idealism can blind us to injustice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) ## Related quotes > [There can be no beauty if it is paid for by human injustice, nor truth that passes over injustice in silence, nor moral virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadeusz-borowski/there-can-be-no-beauty-if-it-is-paid-for-by-human-injustice-nor-truth/) [Tadeusz Borowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadeusz-borowski/) > [In those days it was possible for a Greek to flee from an over-abundant reality as though it were but the tricky scheming off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-those-days-it-was-possible-for-a-greek-to-flee-from-an-over/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I like people who like Plato.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-like-people-who-like-plato/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Do not let your heart become troubled by the sad spectacle of human injustice. 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