Q0320

“This feeling—wonder—belongs especially to the philosopher; philosophy has no other beginning than…” — Plato (Theaetetus 155d)

Verified English quotation. Primary source: Theaetetus 155d. Theme: philosophy.

English

This feeling—wonder—belongs especially to the philosopher; philosophy has no other beginning than this.
Thinker Plato
School Platonism
Source Theaetetus 155d
Theme Browse all themes
Another quotation More from this thinker

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Theaetetus 155d 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

This passage is indexed under . Those labels identify the concepts it can illuminate; they do not replace the argument surrounding it in Theaetetus 155d.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Plato. (n.d.). This feeling—wonder—belongs especially to the philosopher; philosophy has no other beginning than this. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0320

MLA: Plato. “This feeling—wonder—belongs especially to the philosopher; philosophy has….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0320.

Chicago: Plato. “This feeling—wonder—belongs especially to the philosopher; philosophy has….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0320.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “This feeling—wonder—belongs especially to the philosopher; philosophy has…”?

The passage is attributed to Plato, Theaetetus 155d. The archive attributes this English wording to Theaetetus 155d 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 philosophy?

This passage is indexed under . Those labels identify the concepts it can illuminate; they do not replace the argument surrounding it in Theaetetus 155d.

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.

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Same theme

More on philosophy

  1. It is through wonder that people both now begin and first began to philosophize.
  2. A person's character is their destiny.
  3. What is opposed brings together; from what differs comes the finest harmony.
  4. Death is nothing to us: for what has been dissolved has no sensation, and what has no sensation is nothing to us.
  5. Pleasure is the beginning and end of the happy life — not the pleasures of profligates, but freedom from pain in the body and from disturbance in the soul.

Browse all philosophy themes