Charmides is possibly one of the least understood of Plato’s dialogues, but whose significance is most important for our time. The dialogue is a difficult one because it is centered on the concept of sophrosyne (σωφροσύνη), a term that cannot be translated by any single word in any language, including Greek. For Socrates, the idea of sophrosyne was so difficult to define that after an extensive discussion with Charmides and Critias, he concluded that he was incapable of giving it a precise meaning because the nature of the concept was so varied and contradictory in its application.