On occasion I have seen the following quote attributed to Plato, but I think it is an error that may have begun with a mis-attribution in Elbert Hubbard’s Scrapbook and which has been passed down through the generations :
“A bad man is wretched amidst every earthly advantage: a good man—troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”
I have read through the whole corpus of Plato’s dialogues without coming across anything similar. Further, an internet search turns up nothing of substance.
The quote is almost identical to what we find in Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians;
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
I suspect that Hubbard picked up the quote from one of the early Christian neo-platonists who was paraphrasing Paul’s message and that in the process Hubbard botched the source. However, I would be very appreciative if anyone can provide information.





