Excess of liberty, whether it lies in state or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery. - Plato

O dear Pan and all the other gods of this place, grant that I may be beautiful inside. Let all my external possessions be in friendly harmony with what is within. May I consider the wise man rich. As for gold, let me have as much as a moderate man could bear and carry with him.

All the same, we ought to point out that if the kinds of poetry and representation which are designed merely to give pleasure can come up with a rational argument for their inclusion in a well-governed community, we'd be delighted — short of compromising the truth as we see it, which wouldn't be right — to bring them back from exile: after all, we know from our own experience all about their spell. I mean haven't you ever fallen under the spell of poetry, Glaucon, especially when the spectacle is provided by Homer?

And what, Socrates, is the food of the soul? Surely, I said, knowledge is the food of the soul.