Previous
Themes
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Republic, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Socrates believes that the good of the city outweighs the good of the individual. Consequently, the object of his educational system is to produce citizens who are loyal to the city and who best fill the city's needs. The city's educational system identifies particularly talented individuals so they may be trained as auxiliaries (warriors), guardians, or even philosopher-kings. All children are educated identically until the age of eighteen when those destined to be producers (laborers and craftsmen) end their education. The remaining students are trained physically and militarily. Those destined to be warriors are separated from the guardians, the future rulers. The guardians are educated for several more years, until the very best, the most loyal to the city, are given further education as potential philosopher-kings.
The education system is rigidly controlled. Although literature and arts are important parts of education, only moral literature is allowed. Literature must not imitate life or be dramatic because such literature will confuse citizens and make them less useful in their particular roles. Education, especially for the guardians and warriors, is designed to encourage the good of the city as a whole, rather than the good of the family or the individual.
Related Themes from Other Texts
Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme…
Education ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Education appears in each section of The Republic. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
How often theme appears:
section length:
Get the entire The Republic LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Education Quotes in The Republic
Below you will find the important quotes in The Republic related to the theme of Education.
Book 2 Quotes
Then the first thing will be to establish a censorship of the writers of fiction, and let the censors receive any tale of fiction which is good, and reject the bad; and we will desire mothers and nurses to tell their children the authorized ones only.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In order to clarify his definition of justice, Socrates describes the conditions of the ideal city. One aspect of such a city, the so-called “kallipolis," is a harsh restriction of certain forms of art. This section of The Republic is surprising to many contemporary readers because it not only permits censorship, but actually argues that the practice is necessary in a just city. According to Socrates, fictional stories determine the way that members of the kallipolis will act, for these tales dictate their moral sensibilities and give them behavioral models. He therefore reasons that a just populace must be nourished Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaq
If we mean our future guardians to regard the habit of quarrelling among themselves as of all things the basest, should any word be said to them of the wars in heaven, and of the plots and fightings of the gods against one another, for they are not true. No, we shall never mention the battles of the giants, or let them be embroidered on garments; and we shall be silent about the innumerable other quarrels of gods and heroes with their friends and relatives. If they would only believe us we would tell them that quarrelling is unholy, and that never up to this time has there been any quarrel between citizens.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Socrates continues to discuss the importance of censoring artworks. He explains that excluding stories that recount negative behaviors will prevent Greek citizens from repeating those undesirable actions. This passage defines a causal relationship between the plot events of a story and the actions of those reading that story. For instance, reading of “plots and fightings of the gods” is presumed to encourage a similar “habit of quarreling” in future generations. From this point, Socrates extrapolates that “we shall never mention the battles of the giants”: He relies on a logical link between reading material and personal action as a rational Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque.
God is not the author of all things, but of good only.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Socrates furthers his argument that fiction in the ideal city should be censored. He adds that only good artworks could be attributed to God. This line makes a poignant and contentious theological comment. In denying the fact that a God would be capable of producing negative things, he justifies the idea that certain things—people, objects, fictions, etc.—could be excluded from the ideal city. If Gods were indeed responsible for “all things,” then presumably “all things” would have to be included in the city out of deference to the divine. But if the divine is responsible for “good only,” then bad Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit.
Book 3 Quotes
Can any man be courageous who has the fear of death in him?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Socrates describes the conditions necessary to form the warrior or guardian class of a city. He explains that they must only hear stories that encourage heroic behavior. This line furthers Socrates’ earlier claim that the literature a person reads has a direct effect on that person's personality and behavior. He argues that certain stories will cause children to fear death for they will present the afterlife in a negative or frightening way. As a result, those who read these stories will come to fear death more than those who did not — so such stories should be censored from the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. D
And we must beg Homer and the other poets not to be angry if we strike out these and similar passages, not because they are unpoetical, or unattractive to the popular ear, but because the greater the poetical charm in them, the less are they meet for the ears of boys and men who are meant to be free, and who should fear slavery more than death.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Socrates continues to delineate which texts that should be read by the warrior class. He notes that even stories of great literary and popular merit will need to be excluded. This passages demonstrates that Socrates is willing to censor even highly celebrated artworks in order to achieve his ideal city. He does so, through a somewhat circuitous and quite clever way: by asking forgiveness from the (deceased) poets themselves. The reference to Homer is particularly provocative, as Homer's epics were the foundation and center of Greek culture. That Socrates believes that even these works must be removed from the ideal Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque o
Again, truth should be highly valued; if, as we were saying, a lie is useless to the gods, and useful only as a medicine to men, then the use of such medicines should be restricted to physicians; private individuals have no business with them.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
While describing why stories should be excluded from the ideal city, Socrates argues that a key drawback is their inclusion of lies. He condemns lying except to certain professions who can make use of mendacity for the general populace. Once more, Socrates subdivides the citizens into various groups, allotting greater privileges to certain subsets of the population. He revises his earlier condemnation of lying to admit that it could be potentially “useful” in certain situations: That it can be a “medicine to men” means that it can ease the struggles of human nature and make life more palatable. But since Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequat
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.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Having described the general types of stories that are useful to have circulating in the ideal city, Socrates begins to identify specific desirable features. He argues that beneficial stories are simple and unadorned. This passage makes a very specific claim on what type of artworks are desirable for Socrates: He contrasts the ornate, lyrical styles of Homer and other poets with “true simplicity.” Whereas the first can distract a reader from the pedagogical value of a text, the second allows a text's ethical meaning to ring through without disruption. Socrates seems to revise his earlier harsh sanctions on all literature Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. A
Book 4 Quotes
Wealth is the parent of luxury and indolence, and poverty of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
While specifying the types of behaviors permitted by the guardian and warrior classes, Socrates touches on financial matters. He notes that the rulers are responsible for ensuring citizens stay in a state of economic well-being. This passage once again argues that certain people in the idea city should engage in behaviors limited only to them. Instead of permitting free economic control, as would have been typical of the contemporary Greek polis, Socrates argues that financial matters should be tightly controlled. Indeed, people of certain subgroups, such as the guardians, should not even be permitted to handle currency, such that their Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit u
The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In delineating the duties of the guardians, Socrates touches on how they must manage education for the populace. He believes that school has an immense effect on one’s personal development. This model of education confirms that Socrates believes life in the ideal city should be firmly controlled. The stakes, he explains, are that the education someone receives “will determine his future life”—or entirely dictate someone’s destiny. For Socrates, “Education” refers both to the specific schooling one receives and also more broadly to the types of stories and ethics that a child encounters as he matures. Socrates justifies his highly censored Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque er
Book 7 Quotes
Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After outlining the allegory of the cave, Socrates reaffirms the importance of education. He contrasts the benefits of forced physical endeavors with the drawbacks of a similarly strict pedagogy. This comparison responds to the potential criticism that Socrates’ model of education is limiting and authoritarian. He argues, instead, that “compulsion” is only beneficial to certain classes and that it will have detrimental effects on those seeking real truth. Beginning with the point that “bodily exercise” benefits someone even when it is forced upon them, Socrates extrapolates that a similar exercise of the mind will not aid the person educated. In Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus po
