Lachês at first does not understand the question:[13] and Sokrates elucidates it by giving the parallel explanation of quickness. Here, as elsewhere, Plato takes great pains to impress the conception in its full generality, and he seems to have found difficulty in making others follow him. [Footnote 13: Plato, Lachês, 191-192. [Greek: pa/lin ou)=n peirô= ei)pei=n a)ndrei/an prô=ton, ti/ o)\n e)n pa=si tou/tois tau)to/n e)stin. ê)\ ou)/pô katamantha/neis o(\ le/gô?] _Lachês._ [Greek: Ou) pa/nu ti. . . .] _Sokr._ [Greek: peirô= dê\ tê\n a)ndrei/an ou(/tôs ei)pein, ti/s ou)=sa du/namis ê( au)tê\ e)n ê(donê=| kai\ e)n lu/pê| kai\ e)n a(/pasin oi(=s nu=n dê\ e)le/gomen au)tê\n ei)=nai, e)/peit' a)ndrei/a ke/klêtai.]] [Side-note: Second answer. Courage is a sort of endurance of the mind. Sokrates points out that the answer is vague and incorrect. Endurance is not always courage: even intelligent endurance is not always courage.] Lachês then gives a general definition of courage. It is a sort of endurance of the mind.[14] [Footnote 14: Plato, Lachês, 192 B. [Greek: karteri/a tis tê=s psuchê=s.]] Surely not _all_ endurance (rejoins Sokrates)? You admit that courage is a fine and honourable thing. But endurance without intelligence is hurtful and dishonourable: it cannot therefore be courage. Only intelligent endurance, therefore, can be courage. And then what is meant by _intelligent_? Intelligent--of what--or to what end? A man, who endures the loss of money, understanding well that he will thereby gain a larger sum, is he courageous? No. He who endures fighting, knowing that he has superior skill, numbers, and all other advantages on his side, manifests more of intelligent endurance, than his adversary who knows that he has all these advantages against him, yet who nevertheless endures fighting. Nevertheless this latter is the most courageous of the two.[15] Unintelligent endurance is in this case courage: but unintelligent endurance was acknowledged to be bad and hurtful, and courage to be a fine thing. We have entangled ourselves in a contradiction. We must at least show our own courage, by enduring until we can get right. For my part (replies Lachês) I am quite prepared for such endurance. I am piqued and angry that I cannot express what I conceive. I seem to have in my mind clearly what courage is: but it escapes me somehow or other, when I try to put it in words.[16] [Footnote 15: Plato, Lachês, 192 D-E. [Greek: ê( phro/nimos karteri/a . . . i)/dômen dê/, _ê( ei)s ti/_ phro/nimos; ê)\ ê( ei)s a(/panta kai\ ta\ mega/la kai\ ta\ smikra/?]] [Footnote 16: Plato, Lachês, 193 C, 194 B.] Sokrates now asks aid from Nikias. _Nikias._--My explanation of courage is, that it is a sort of knowledge or intelligence. _Sokr._--But what sort of intelligence? Not certainly intelligence of piping or playing the harp. Intelligence of what?