12/31/2025
# # # Explanation
This famous quote comes from **Plato**, the ancient Greek philosopher, in his seminal work *The Republic* (Book 1, around 347a–b in some editions, though the exact phrasing is a popular modern rendering).
Plato warns that when virtuous, capable people ("good men") withdraw from public life—choosing private comfort over civic engagement—they create a power vacuum. This apathy or indifference to politics and public affairs allows corrupt, self-serving, or tyrannical individuals ("evil men") to seize control unopposed.
The consequence: society suffers under bad leadership, injustice, and decline. Plato argues that the "price" of this disengagement is domination by the worst elements. He believed the ideal state requires philosopher-kings (wise, moral rulers), but in reality, good people's silence enables evil to prevail.
It's a timeless call to civic responsibility: true goodness demands active participation to prevent harm.