Serious Play Forum

[Luca]

Hey guys,

I like the quote below very much:

“You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than you can from a lifetime of conversation”
Plato

But I’ve recently found an issue about it: a few sites state that it is mis-attributed to Plato:

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Plato

You Can Discover More About a Person in an Hour of Play than in a Year of Conversation

The quote is shown on https://www.lego.com/en-us/seriousplay site and it is quite used among LSP practice.
I hope some Plato expert could confirm the source…..

Thanks,

Luca

[Jody Lentz]

hey Luca: it’s true – that specific line does not appear in The Republic, or in any of Plato’s other writings. Despite that, I have continued to use it in my workshop introductions, with the modifier of “

attributed

to Plato.”
A Google search reveals thousands of mis-attributions, including from prestigious academic journals.
That does not make it correct, but Plato did circle this issue in The Republic, largely in the context of educating children.
The fact is this is a common-sense understanding from anyone who has observed human interactions, and it just needs some historical credibility…
Play well!
jody

[Luca]

Hi Jody,

I’ve just realised that I had never replied you: sorry about that.
I would like to thank you for sharing your understanding: I agree that it is still controversial at the highest levels, but the principle is valid anyway, so let’s continue using it.
From now on I will adopt the modifier :)

Play well too and meet you in Billund, if you will join.

Luca

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