"For the introduction of a new kind of music must be shunned as imperiling the whole state; since styles of music are never disturbed without affecting the most important political institutions"
About this Quote
The line works because it compresses an authoritarian insight into an almost commonsense observation: aesthetics aren’t neutral. Plato’s subtext is that political order is fragile, dependent on habits and emotions that are formed pre-rationally. New styles carry new emotional scripts: different relationships to pleasure, discipline, and authority. If a culture’s soundtrack begins to reward excess, novelty, or individual display, Plato suspects the polity will follow, loosening the reverence for hierarchy and law that his ideal city requires. This is why he treats musical innovation as a constitutional event.
Context matters: Plato is writing in the shadow of Athens’ volatility - democracy’s swings, demagogues, war, and eventual defeat. His “ban the new music” posture reflects a broader suspicion of change itself, especially change that enters through taste rather than debate. The genius (and menace) of the claim is its recognition that the fastest route to political transformation isn’t a manifesto; it’s a mood.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Plato. (2026, January 17). For the introduction of a new kind of music must be shunned as imperiling the whole state; since styles of music are never disturbed without affecting the most important political institutions. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-the-introduction-of-a-new-kind-of-music-must-29276/
Chicago Style
Plato. "For the introduction of a new kind of music must be shunned as imperiling the whole state; since styles of music are never disturbed without affecting the most important political institutions." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-the-introduction-of-a-new-kind-of-music-must-29276/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"For the introduction of a new kind of music must be shunned as imperiling the whole state; since styles of music are never disturbed without affecting the most important political institutions." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-the-introduction-of-a-new-kind-of-music-must-29276/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
