do ut des. It as, as Socrates says, a 'business transaction' and one in which, because god is greater than man, man gets on the whole the best of it." - Meaning and context.">
“

Socrates, obviously unfair though he is, puts his finger on the weak spot of Greek religion as orthodoxly conceived in the fifth century B.C. Its formula is do ut des. It as, as Socrates says, a 'business transaction' and one in which, because god is greater than man, man gets on the whole the best of it.

— Jane Ellen Harrison

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Socrates, obviously unfair though he is, puts his finger on the weak spot of Greek religion as orthodoxly conceived in the fifth century B.C. Its formula is do ut des. It as, as Socrates says, a 'business transaction' and one in which, because god is greater than man, man gets on the whole the best of it." in the context of "p. 3" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Jane Ellen Harrison" (Quotes, Prolegomena to the study of Greek Religion (1903)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Jane Ellen Harrison

About Jane Ellen Harrison

Jane Ellen Harrison (9 September 1850 – 15 April 1928) was a British classical scholar, linguist, and anthropologist.