Plutarch, Greek philosopher: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled”

Plutarch, (c. 45-120) was a biographer and philosopher, whose wisdom influenced Renaissance thinkers and was a source for Shakespeare in his plays, and it continues to enlighten us today.

He is perhaps best known for his series of biographies Parallel Lives, which compared illustrious Greeks and Romans. These tales weren’t so much a telling of historical facts, but an insight into the character, both their virtues and vices, of those people and human nature.

The Greek philosopher was also the author of Moralia, an eclectic collection of philosophical essays and ethical treatises. It is from this work that we get one of his most famous quotes: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”

Learning isn’t about collecting facts, but developing curiosity

A person can have innate talent and be knowledgeable about a specific subject, but what Plutarch is expressing with the aforementioned quote, and many great thinkers say the same, is that it is more valuable to have a profound curiosity. Equipped with this, we are better able to question and reflect on what we learn through open-mindedness, free of bias to explore further knowledge.

This is also guidance for how we should teach, not focusing on rote memorization of facts, but sparking a passion for learning, and then kindling the fire to seek ever more knowledge and understanding. Developing a desire to delve into the weeds of a subject to look at things rationally and gain insight into truth.

But we need to keep their ears open on our journey of mental growth, for which Plutarch gave us another quote that can help guide us: “Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.”

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