The gods' service is tolerable, man's intolerable. — Plato

The gods' service is tolerable, man's intolerable.

Author: Plato

Insight: When you serve something abstract—a cause, a principle, a vision—you can forgive its flaws. But rely on actual people? They'll disappoint you in ways that feel personal. Maybe that's why we're so quick to blame colleagues but so patient with institutions.

Source: Laws, 717b

/Quotes

The gods' service is tolerable, man's intolerable.

PlatoLaws, 717b

Insight

When you serve something abstract—a cause, a principle, a vision—you can forgive its flaws. But rely on actual people? They'll disappoint you in ways that feel personal. Maybe that's why we're so quick to blame colleagues but so patient with institutions.

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Plato

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, born around 428 BC in Athens, Greece. He is known for founding the Academy in Athens, one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Western world. Plato's philosophical works, including "The Republic" and "The Symposium," continue to be highly influential in Western philosophy.

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