From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Valuing highly
περὶ πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθαι
peri pollou poieisthaiPeri pollou poieisthai means set great store by; value highly.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPeri pollou poieisthai means set great store by; value highly.
- In LysisThe idiom occurs when Socrates asks whether self-sufficient people could value one another, and again in the father’s concern for his son.
- Reading contextTranslate the idiom as valuation, not as literally making something “about much.”
- A place to readThe Greek example means “What means is there for them to value one another highly?”
- English renderings
- Set great store by; value highly
Meaning
Set great store by; value highly.
Grammatical category: verbal idiom.
Use in the book
The idiom occurs when Socrates asks whether self-sufficient people could value one another, and again in the father’s concern for his son. Its comparative form, περὶ πλείονος ποιεῖσθαι, asks which thing is valued more.
At 219d–220a2 the expression distinguishes the son from the wine and vessel procured for him. All may receive attention, but they do not occupy the same place in the explanation of that attention. Translate the idiom as valuation, not as literally making something “about much.”
Places to read
From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Valuing above others
προτιμάω
protimaōProtimaō means value before or above something else; prefer in valuation.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordProtimaō means value before or above something else; prefer in valuation.
- In LysisThe father values his son above all his other possessions.
- Reading contextThe verb helps identify the final object of concern while avoiding the inference that every useful means must be valued equally with its end.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “A father values his son above all his other possessions.”
- English renderings
- Value before or above something else; prefer in valuation
Meaning
Value before or above something else; prefer in valuation.
Grammatical category: verb.
Use in the book
The father values his son above all his other possessions. The prefix προ- is reflected in the priority expressed by the verb: the point is not merely that the son is valued, but that other resources matter in relation to him.
This prepares the comparison of son, wine, and cup. The verb helps identify the final object of concern while avoiding the inference that every useful means must be valued equally with its end.
Places to read
- 219dπατὴρ ὑὸν ἀντὶ πάντων τῶν ἄλλων χρημάτων προτιμᾷ — A father values his son above all his other possessions.
From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Value
value; valued; prize; esteem — worth apprehended through fitting judgment
Value is worth, and to value something is to estimate or esteem it.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordValue is worth, and to value something is to estimate or esteem it.
- In TraherneRight valuation is a moral duty because creatures and benefactors deserve an answer proportionate to their goodness.
- In this editionValue and price are not interchangeable.
- A place to beginPrizing according to value is an office and duty.
Meaning
Value is worth, and to value something is to estimate or esteem it. Traherne distinguishes true excellence from the price or prestige assigned by social convention.
Use in the book
Right valuation is a moral duty because creatures and benefactors deserve an answer proportionate to their goodness. The world’s familiar gifts often suffer the greatest injustice: what is necessary and freely available is despised, while scarcity lends artificial glamour to comparatively poor goods. Imagining the loss of sun or sea corrects that judgment.
Value is also relational. Gold cannot be assessed without its bearing on food, clothes, exchange, and the owner; the sun’s excellence appears through its service to the world. A thing abstracted from those relations may seem inexplicable or worthless. Yet relations do not mean mere usefulness to a private whim. The fullest valuation situates each creature within God’s intention and the good of all.
The act of valuing thus changes the recipient as well as the object’s place in experience. To prize rightly is to receive a gift knowingly, become grateful, and acquire an incentive to act in accordance with its goodness.
Places to read
In this edition
Value and price are not interchangeable. Where Traherne appeals to the price one would pay for a lost necessity, the hypothetical exchange exposes worth that ordinary markets and habits overlook.
Source note
Primary text: I.12, I.46, II.12, III.55. No 2026 editorial notes used.