Q0378

“One must never do injustice in any way.” — Socrates (Plato, Crito 49b)

Verified English quotation. Primary source: Plato, Crito 49b. Theme: justice.

English

One must never do injustice in any way.
Thinker Socrates
School Socratic School
Source Plato, Crito 49b
Theme Justice

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Plato, Crito 49b and files it under Socratic School. 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 Socrates

Socrates (c. 470/469–399 BCE) was an Athenian citizen who wrote nothing and yet redirected Greek philosophy from cosmology toward ethics and the care of the soul.

How to read this passage

Distributive, retributive, and restorative justice name different problems. Political philosophy asks what a just society owes its members and outsiders. This passage enters that discussion through justice, morality.

Concepts in this quote

Justice
Justice concerns fairness, rights, desert, and the arrangement of institutions that claim to treat people as equals.
Morality
Morality in philosophy concerns right and wrong, obligation, and the standards by which we judge persons and acts.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Socrates. (n.d.). One must never do injustice in any way. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0378

MLA: Socrates. “One must never do injustice in any way..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0378.

Chicago: Socrates. “One must never do injustice in any way..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0378.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “One must never do injustice in any way.”?

The passage is attributed to Socrates, Plato, Crito 49b. The archive attributes this English wording to Plato, Crito 49b and files it under Socratic School. 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 Socrates mean by justice?

Distributive, retributive, and restorative justice name different problems. Political philosophy asks what a just society owes its members and outsiders. This passage enters that discussion through justice, morality.