TrueQuotes - Verified Quotes Archive

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."

January 1, 1970

Quote Details

Added by wikiquote-import-bot

Added on April 10, 2026

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Spiritual teachers Aphorists Slaves Philosophers from Greece Poets from Greece

Original Language: English

Sources

This quotation, often attributed on the Internet to Plato, cannot be found in any of Plato's writings, nor can it be found in any published work anywhere until recent years. If it really were a quotation by Plato, then some author in the recorded literature of the last several centuries would have mentioned that quote, but they did not. The sentiment isn't new, however. The ancient Roman Seneca, in his work on "Morals," quoted an earlier Roman writer, Lucretius (who wrote about the year 50 B.C.)

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Plato

This quotation, often attributed on the Internet to Plato, cannot be found in any of Plato's writings, nor can it be found in any published work anywhere until recent years. If it really were a quotation by Plato, then some author in the recorded literature of the last several centuries would have mentioned that quote, but they did not. The sentiment isn't new, however. The ancient Roman Seneca, in his work on "Morals," quoted an earlier Roman writer, Lucretius (who wrote about the year 50 B.C.)