Plato · Complete work
Stephanus 32a
Stephanus 32a of 125. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι τὸν τῷ ὄντι μαχούμενον ὑπὲρ τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ εἰ μέλλει ὀλίγον χρόνον σωθήσεσθαι, ἰδιωτεύειν ἀλλὰ μὴ δημοσιεύειν.μεγάλα δʼ ἔγωγε ὑμῖν τεκμήρια παρέξομαι τούτων, οὐ λόγους ἀλλʼ ὃ ὑμεῖς τιμᾶτε, ἔργα. ἀκούσατε δή μοι τὰ συμβεβηκότα, ἵνα εἰδῆτε ὅτι οὐδʼ ἂν ἑνὶ ὑπεικάθοιμι παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον δείσας θάνατον, μὴ ὑπείκων δὲ ἀλλὰ κἂν ἀπολοίμην. ἐρῶ δὲ ὑμῖν φορτικὰ μὲν καὶ δικανικά, ἀληθῆ δέ. ἐγὼ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἄλλην μὲν ἀρχὴν οὐδεμίαν
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the complete Ancient Greek text across all 125 Stephanus sections for fidelity, philosophical precision, Socratic voice, legal clarity, and structure.
anyone who truly fights for justice must, if he is to survive even a short time, act as a private citizen and not hold public office.
I shall offer you compelling evidence of this—not words, but what you value: deeds. Listen, then, to what has happened to me, so that you may know that I would never yield to anyone against what is just out of fear of death, and that by refusing to yield I would be willing even to perish. What I shall tell you is commonplace courtroom talk, but it is true. Gentlemen of Athens, I have never held any other public office
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 125 Ancient Greek Stephanus sections.
anyone who truly fights for justice must lead a private rather than a public life, if he is to survive even for a short time.
I will give you powerful evidence of this—not words, but what you value: deeds. Listen, then, to what has happened to me, so that you may know that I would never yield to anyone against what is just because I feared death, and that by refusing to yield I might actually die. What I am going to tell you is commonplace courtroom talk, but it is true. Gentlemen of Athens, I have never held any other office