Dialogues

I might ask what is that quality which is called quickness, and which is found in running, in playing the lyre, in speaking, in learning, and in many other similar actions, or rather which we possess in nearly every action that is worth mentioning of arms, legs, mouth, voice, mind;⁠—would you not apply the term quickness to all of them? Laches Quite true. Socrates And suppose I were to be asked by someone: What is that common quality, Socrates, which, in all these uses of the word, you call quickness? I should say the quality which accomplishes much in a little time⁠—whether in running, speaking, or in any other sort of action. Laches You would be quite correct. Socrates And now, Laches, do you try and tell me in like manner, What is that common quality which is called courage, and which includes all the various uses of the term when applied both to pleasure and pain, and in all the cases to which I was just now referring? Laches I should say that courage is a sort of endurance of the soul, if I am to speak of the universal nature which pervades them all. Socrates But that is what we must do if we are to answer the question. And yet I cannot say that every kind of endurance is, in my opinion, to be deemed courage. Hear my reason: I am sure, Laches, that you would consider courage to be a very noble quality. Laches Most noble, certainly. Socrates And you would say that a wise endurance is also good and noble? Laches Very noble. Socrates But what would you say of a foolish endurance? Is not that, on the other hand, to be regarded as evil and hurtful? Laches True. Socrates And is anything noble which is evil and hurtful? Laches I ought not to say that, Socrates. Socrates Then you would not admit that sort of endurance to be courage⁠—for it is not noble, but courage is noble? Laches You are right. Socrates Then, according to you, only the wise endurance is courage? Laches True. Socrates But as to the epithet “wise,”⁠—wise in what? In all things small as well as great? For example, if a man shows the quality of endurance in spending his money wisely, knowing that by spending he will acquire more in the end, do you call him courageous? Laches Assuredly not. Socrates Or, for example, if a man is a physician, and his son, or some patient of his, has inflammation of the lungs, and begs that he may be allowed to eat or drink something, and the other is firm and refuses; is that courage? Laches No; that is not courage at all, any more than the last. Socrates Again, take the case of one who endures in war, and is willing to fight, and wisely calculates and knows that others will help him, and that there will be fewer and inferior men against him than there are with him; and suppose that he has also advantages of position; would you say of such a one who endures with all this wisdom and preparation, that he, or some man in the opposing army who is in the opposite circumstances to these and yet endures and remains at his post, is the braver? Laches I should say that the latter, Socrates, was the braver. Socrates But, surely, this is a foolish endurance in comparison with the other? Laches That is true. Socrates Then you would say that he who in an engagement of cavalry endures, having the knowledge of horsemanship, is not so courageous as he who endures, having no such knowledge? Laches So I should say. Socrates And he who endures, having a knowledge of the use of the sling, or the bow, or of any other art, is not so courageous as he who endures, not having such a knowledge? Laches True. Socrates And he who descends into a well, and dives, and holds out in this or any similar action, having no knowledge of diving, or the like, is, as you would say, more courageous than those who have this knowledge? Laches Why, Socrates, what else can a man say? Socrates Nothing, if that be what he thinks. Laches But that is what I do think. Socrates And yet men who thus run risks and endure are foolish, Laches, in comparison of those who do the same things, having the skill to do them. Laches That is true. Socrates But foolish boldness and endurance appeared before to be base and hurtful to us. Laches Quite true. Socrates Whereas courage was acknowledged to be a noble quality. Laches True. Socrates And now on the contrary we are saying that the foolish endurance, which was before held in dishonour, is courage. Laches Very true. Socrates And are we right in saying so? Laches Indeed, Socrates, I am sure that we are not right. Socrates Then according to your statement, you and I, Laches, are not attuned to the Dorian mode, which is a harmony of words and deeds; for our deeds are not in accordance with our words. Anyone would say that we had courage who saw us in action, but not, I imagine, he who heard us talking about courage just now. Laches That is most true. Socrates And is this condition of ours satisfactory? Laches Quite the reverse. Socrates Suppose, however, that we admit the principle of which we are speaking to a certain extent. Laches To what extent and what principle do you mean? Socrates The principle of endurance. We too must endure and persevere in the enquiry, and then courage will not laugh at our faint-heartedness in searching for courage; which after all may, very likely, be endurance. Laches I am ready to go on, Socrates; and yet I am unused to investigations of this sort. But the spirit of controversy has been aroused in me by what has been said; and I am really grieved at being thus unable to express my meaning. For I fancy that I do know the nature of courage; but, somehow or other, she has slipped away from me, and I cannot get hold of her and tell her nature. Socrates But, my dear friend, should not the good sportsman follow