I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons or your properties, but and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, I am a mischievous person.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Socrates urges that virtue, not wealth, should be the focus; virtue generates wealth and societal good.
- In plain terms
- Focus on virtue, because it brings money and overall benefit.
- What can you take from it?
- Cultivate moral character to achieve true prosperity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can virtue exist without material reward?
- How does society reward virtue today?
Another view
The claim that virtue automatically yields wealth may not hold in all economic systems.
More from Socrates
The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being. (ho de anexetastos bios ou biotos anthropoi)
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