Others

For all good and evil, whether in the body or in human nature, originates in the soul, and overflows from thence, as from the head into the eyes.

Excellence of understanding comes from something divine, whereas the other excellences are probably close to the body.

Excellence of understanding comes from something divine, whereas the other excellences are probably close to the body.

Excellence" is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act "rightly" because we are "excellent", in fact we achieve "excellence" by acting "rightly".

Evil is the vulgar lover who loves the body rather than the soul, inasmuch as he is not even stable, because he loves a thing which is in itself unstable, and therefore when the bloom of youth which he was desiring is over, he takes wing and flies away, in spite of all his words and promises; whereas the love of the noble disposition is life-long, for it becomes one with the everlasting.

Everyone seeks his half

Either we shall find what it is we are seeking or at least we shall free ourselves from the persuasion that we know what we do not know.

Eat and drink and sit with the mighty, and make yourself agreeable to them; for from the good you will learn what is good, but if you mix with the bad you will lose the intelligence which you already have.

Excellence must be the health and wellbeing of the soul.

Come then, and let us pass a leisure hour in storytelling, and our story shall be the education of our heroes.

Beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may.

Books are immortal sons defying their sires.

But of the heaven which is above the heavens, what earthly poet ever did or ever will sing worthily?

Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity I mean the true simplicity of a rightly and nobly ordered mind and character, not that other simplicity which is only a euphemism for folly.

Beauty is the splendor of truth.

Beauty is the splendor of truth.

Beauty is certainly a soft, smooth, slippery thing, and therefore of a nature which easily slips in and permeates our souls.

Beauty is certainly a soft, smooth, slippery thing, and therefore of a nature which easily slips in and permeates our souls.

Love is a good poet and accomplished in all the fine arts; for no one can give to another that which he has not himself, or teach that of which he has no knowledge. Who will deny that the creation of the animals is his doing? Are they not all the works of his wisdom, born and begotten of him? And as to the artists, do we not know that he only of them whom love inspires has the light of fame?

At the touch of love, Everyone becomes a poet.

Atheism is a disease of the soul before it becomes an error of understanding.

Appearance tyrannizes over truth.

As it is, the lover of inquiry must follow his beloved wherever it may lead him.

Artist or sage or ruler errs at the time when he is what his name implies.