republic (books 1 - 5)   

Assuredly not.

Any more than heat can produce cold?

It cannot.

Or drought moisture?

Clearly not.

Nor can the good harm anyone?

Impossible.

And the just is the good?

Certainly.

Then to injure a friend or anyone else is not the act of a
just man, but of the opposite, who is the unjust?

I think that what you say is quite true, Socrates.

Then if a man says that justice consists in the repayment of
debts, and that good is the debt which a just man owes to his
friends, and evil the debt which he owes to his enemies--to say
this is not wise; for it is not true, if, as has been clearly shown,
the injuring of another can be in no case just.

I agree with you, said Polemarchus.

Then you and I are prepared to take up arms against anyone
who attributes such a saying to Simonides or Bias or Pittacus,
or any other wise man or seer?

I am quite ready to do battle at your side, he said.

Shall I tell you whose I believe the saying to be?

Whose?

I believe that Periander or Perdiccas or Xerxes or Ismenias
the Theban, or some other rich and mighty man, who had a
great opinion of his own power, was the first to say that justice
is "doing good to your friends and harm to your enemies."

Most true, he said.

Yes, I said; but if this definition of justice also breaks down,
what other can be offered?

Several times in the course of the discussion Thrasymachus
had made an attempt to get the argument into his own hands,
and had been put down by the rest of the company, who wanted
to hear the end. But when Polemarchus and I had done speak-
ing and there was a pause, he could no longer hold his peace;
and, gathering himself up, he came at us like a wild beast,
seeking to devour us. We were quite panic-stricken at the
sight of him.

He roared out to the whole company: What folly, Socrates,
has taken possession of you all? And why, sillybillies, do you
knock under to one another? I say that if you want really to