# Reading > Who Said That? >  Socrates/Plato: Complaining of the Youth

## Sabo

What do know about following passage:

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

I have come acrossed it several times, always attributed to Socrates. It don's really sound as S to me, possible ironically. And I'm pretty sure I was once warned that the quote is not at all from the two Greeks but made up much later on.

At Google Answers http://www.answers.google.com/answer...view?id=408989

I learn that The Library of Congress claims this is "attributed to Socrates by Plato", and Google Answers suggests it might come from Plato's Republic Book 4. 

I can not find that specific quote in Rep 4. Does anyone know more about this?

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## Logos

You can try searching the text here online.

http://www.online-literature.com/plato/republic/

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## Sabo

aha! Thanks. I knew this was a good site.  :Thumbs Up:  

I've found a similiar place in Book 4, but it's not the exact quote. If anyone has any more ideas, they will be most welcome.

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## antiquary

I've seen this quote attributed to Plato, to Socrates, to Aristotle, to Cicero, to Hesiod, to 'an old monk', to an Assyrian cuneiform tablet, and to an ancient Egyptian papyrus. Though people have been searching for the source for fifty years no satisfying answer has ever been produced. It's just one of those things which people need to believe. For another discussion see http://www.quotationspage.com/forum/...pic.php?t=4690

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## Sabo

Ye you must be right, antiquary. Just wanted to be sure. Thanks.

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