The Measure Of A Man Is

This exact phrasing does not appear verbatim in Plato's dialogues and is widely considered a paraphrase derived from discussions of power and character in the Republic and the Laws. In Republic Book VIII–IX, Plato argues at length that the tyrannical character — the person who wields unchecked power — is in fact the least free and least happy of all people, enslaved to desires. The remark as quoted likely entered circulation as a condensed summary of that analysis, attributed to Plato in later anthologies.