[132b]
Socrates
Exercise yourself first, my wonderful friend, in learning what you ought to know before entering on politics; you must wait till you have learnt, in order that you may be armed with an antidote and so come to no harm.Alcibiades
Your advice seems to me good, Socrates; but try to explain in what way we can take pains over ourselves.Socrates
Well, we have made one step in advance; for there is a pretty fair agreement now as to what we are, whereas we were afraid we might fail of this and take pains, without knowing it, over something other than ourselves.Alcibiades
That is so.
Exercise yourself first, my wonderful friend, in learning what you ought to know before entering on politics; you must wait till you have learnt, in order that you may be armed with an antidote and so come to no harm.Alcibiades
Your advice seems to me good, Socrates; but try to explain in what way we can take pains over ourselves.Socrates
Well, we have made one step in advance; for there is a pretty fair agreement now as to what we are, whereas we were afraid we might fail of this and take pains, without knowing it, over something other than ourselves.Alcibiades
That is so.