Plutarch quote
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled."
-Plutarch, On Listening to Lectures
Context [edit]
"The correct analogy for the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting — no more — and then it motivates one towards originality and instills the desire for truth. Suppose someone were to go and ask his neighbors for fire and find a substantial blaze there, and just stay there continually warming himself: that is no different from someone who goes to someone else to get to some of his rationality, and fails to realize that he ought to ignite his own flame, his own intellect, but is happy to sit entranced by the lecture, and the words trigger only associative thinking and bring, as it were, only a flush to his cheeks and a glow to his limbs; but he has not dispelled or dispersed, in the warm light of philosophy, the internal dank gloom of his mind." (emphasis added)
-Plutarch, On Listening to Lectures
Discussion [edit]
Good quote. +1
Good quote. +2
Continue discussion of quote here:
When I first read that quote I found it very interesting to say the least. It immediately struck a chord with me. The image alone of our minds being a vessel, limited in space and capacity for learning, is a bit abysmal to contemplate. However, the idea that our minds, if given the proper upkeep, desire, motivation, and due encouragement; could burn on forever ( or at least within the realm of our individual life times), is refreshing. I believe that it is true. We as individuals are never limited to only learn a certain amount of material. I think that at some point, some of us, just give up on the idea do to lack of self esteem and/or self confidence. And if we could overcome those things, we could push not only ourselves, but our society, culture, and species to much greater heights. SkepticUsh 02:46, 22 July 2010 (EST)
- Unless the pun was intended (and, if so, needs to be indicated in some way), "struck a cord" should be "struck a chord". comment added by [1], 16:21, 16 January 2011. Abd 19:09, 16 January 2011 (UTC)
I agree, it is Mind Expanding, Many Jewels of Intelligence are hidden in that Quote, one only needs to extract them with the vibrancy of productive thought.--Gaon Abhinava 02:30, 28 July 2011 (UTC)
It is an interesting thought... and a clever metaphor. It makes me feel like there is so much more that I could do and that I want to do it all. Comment added by Sulphuric Glue
See also [edit]
We are not just a collection of some kind certain imformation but a soul with infinite possibility，we are also not CPU only known to edit imfo like what i‘m doing now，but magically a sort of existence in the void universe.For us knowledge is just for insperation not for store,we can create our own things as well as we're free to do so.
