The Republic Justice and Judgment Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Stephanus pagination (the standardized way in which every text of Plato is divided). Every edition and translation will have this pagination in the margins.

Quote #7

"Then the just man will not be any different from the just city with respect to the form itself of justice, but will be like it." (435b)

This is Socrates's famous formulation of how his imaginary city is a mirror image of the individual. Like city, like person. Got it?

Quote #8

"Do you suppose it is anything surprising.... if a man... looks quite ridiculous when... he is compelled in courts or elsewhere to contest about the shadows of the just...?" (517d)

Socrates is worried about the fact that philosophers can sometimes come across as a little bit nutty. As he explains here, it's hard for philosophers to seem "normal" because the truths they are trying to communicate can sometimes be hard to communicate and hard for others to accept.

Quote #9

"Too much freedom seems to change into nothing but too much slavery..." (564a)

It's exactly this relationship that makes Socrates so suspicious of democracy—and that makes him worry that justice and freedom aren't as connected as we think. Why does too much freedom lead to slavery? Can the majority actually be trusted?