I love the quote:
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.
Plato
The only problem is, there’s no proof that he ever said or wrote these words. ( For more info about this, check out the excellent blog post by The Quote Investigator: You Can Discover More About a Person in an Hour of Play than in a Year of Conversation).
Now, Plato did have quite a lot to say about the value of play, especially in reference to the education of both children and philosophers (see The Role of Play in The Philosophy of Plato, by Gavin Ardley). It’s actually something I am interested in exploring more because I think the value of play in an intellectual and creative life is seriously underrated.
But here’s the take home message for writers: when using quotes it’s important to go to the primary sources yourself, and not just trust Google.