So, it wasn’t Plato who said what you posted, either?
Probably not. That quote is from Lingard, but it's unclear if he lifted it from an earlier source. Some proffer that he did, and that earlier source was Plato - at least in part.
But, what Palin attributes to Plato, is clearly not Plato. Anyone who's read Athenian philosophy would recognize that the texture, syntax and rhythm are all entirely wrong.