Q0224

“I say that the noble and good man and woman are happy,…” — Plato (Gorgias 470e)

Verified English quotation. Primary source: Gorgias 470e. Theme: happiness.

English

I say that the noble and good man and woman are happy, and the unjust and wicked are miserable.
Thinker Plato
School Platonism
Source Gorgias 470e
Theme Happiness
Another quotation More from this thinker

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Gorgias 470e and files it under Platonism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.

About Plato

Plato (c. 428/427–348/347 BCE) was an Athenian of high birth, a devoted associate of Socrates, and the founder of the Academy.

How to read this passage

Greek eudaimonia, Buddhist analyses of craving, utilitarian happiness, and modern well-being research all contest the meaning of a good life. This passage enters that discussion through happiness, justice, character.

Concepts in this quote

Happiness
Happiness—or flourishing—is a central aim in ethics: what makes a life go well, and whether pleasure alone is enough.
Justice
Justice concerns fairness, rights, desert, and the arrangement of institutions that claim to treat people as equals.
Character
Character appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat character as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Plato. (n.d.). I say that the noble and good man and woman are happy, and the unjust and wicked are miserable. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0224

MLA: Plato. “I say that the noble and good man….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0224.

Chicago: Plato. “I say that the noble and good man….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0224.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “I say that the noble and good man…”?

The passage is attributed to Plato, Gorgias 470e. The archive attributes this English wording to Gorgias 470e and files it under Platonism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.

What does Plato mean by happiness?

Greek eudaimonia, Buddhist analyses of craving, utilitarian happiness, and modern well-being research all contest the meaning of a good life. This passage enters that discussion through happiness, justice, character.

Same thinker

More from Plato

  1. Justice is doing one's own work and not meddling in others'.
  2. Love is the desire for the perpetual possession of the good.
  3. Let us not become haters of argument — that is a great danger to the soul.
  4. Extreme freedom seems to change into nothing but extreme slavery.
  5. Picture human beings as if living in an underground, cave-like dwelling.

All quotations by Plato

Same theme

More on happiness

  1. The human good is activity of soul in accordance with virtue.
  2. Of all that wisdom provides for the happiness of a whole life, by far the greatest is the possession of friendship.
  3. It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.
  4. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.
  5. The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions…be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile.

Browse the happiness theme