Chapter 24 Volume Three Chapter Seven

Socrates exhorts the able and public-minded Harmides to take part in government work, lest he be accused of idleness, § 1-4.Harmides, who does not believe in his oratory, is encouraged by Socrates in various words, § 5-9. When Socrates saw that Harmides, the son of Glaucon, who was respectable and far more capable than the people in power at that time, was hesitant to speak to the people and shy away from managing the affairs of the city, he treated him Said, "Hello, Harmides, tell me, if there is a man who can take the crown in the contest, so as to honor himself and make his birthplace more honorable in the land of Greece, but refuses to participate in the contest, What kind of person do you think this is?"

"I thought he must be a coward and a coward," Halmides said. "If a man," continued Socrates, "could manage the affairs of the state, promote its welfare, and thereby make himself respected, should he shrink from doing so, would it not be proper to regard him as a coward? Is it?" "Perhaps," replied Halmides, "but why do you ask me that?" "Because I think," replied Socrates, "that you shy away from doing what you can do well, and that is what you have to do as a citizen." "From what incident do you know so well that I have this ability, that you accuse me so?" asked Halmides.

"I have learned that you have this ability in your social intercourse with the people who run the affairs of the city," replied Socrates, "because whenever people talk to you, I see that you always give them Good advice, and you always rightly point out people's mistakes when they are." "But, Socrates," said Harmides, "private conversations are not the same thing as public arguments!" "However, a person who can count will be equally accurate in a large crowd as well as alone; those who play the pipa well alone will also play the lute equally well in a large crowd," Su Grady said.

"But don't you see that shyness and timidity are human nature, and that they affect us much more when we are in public than when we are in private conversation?" "It is precisely this that I want to remind you," said Socrates, "that you are not ashamed before the wisest, nor afraid before the most powerful, but you are not ashamed before the most ignorant, You are too shy to speak in the presence of the most insignificant person! Among these you are ashamed the felt-roller, or the cobbler, or the coppersmith, or the farmer, or the wholesaler, or the one who buys cheaply at the market. What about the expensive people? For the whole National Assembly is made up of these people. How can you think that what you do is any different from what the trained sportsman fears the untrained layman? Because you can Take your time to talk with those who hold the leading positions in the city, and some of these people look down on you; you are much better in speech than those who manage the affairs of the city; You have never looked down on people who have never looked down on you, but you are afraid to speak because you are afraid of their ridicule!"

"Don't you see," asked Halmides, "that people in the National Assembly often laugh at even correct speech?" "But so are the others!" said Socrates. "So I am amazed at you that you can deal with them so easily, whereas people who are nothing to them think they can't deal with them. Oh , my good friend, do not be ignorant of yourself, and do not make the mistake of most men; for though many are eager to look into the affairs of others, they will not look carefully into their own. Therefore do not neglect the matter , try to be more mindful of yourself; do not neglect the affairs of the city, but try to improve them as much as you can; You yourself have a great advantage."