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Not the one who is rich, but the one who does not need wealth is blessed. 797 The greatest part of wealth is knowing that it is superfluous. If you do not desire many things, the few will seem many. For a small appetite poverty

will make equal in strength to wealth. Wealth according to nature, with bread and water and any available shelter for the body,

is made complete. But the superfluous, being boundless for the soul, also has the torment of desire.

The same man, having been asked how one might become rich; "If he is poor in desires," he says.

In all things that are according to nature, we are all rich; but in all that depend on us, we are all poor.

The one who is content with wealth according to nature is much richer than the one who has acquired many things but desires more. For the former lacks nothing; but the latter, much more than what he possesses.

The excessive accumulation of money for one's children is a pretext for avarice, exposing its own character.

The poor have escaped the greatest of evils: plotting, envy, and hatred; with which the rich live every day.

Diogenes. Diogenes the Cynic philosopher, having been asked by someone why gold is pale, said: "Because it has many plotters against it."

The same man, seeing the servants of Anaximenes carrying many vessels, asked: "Whose are these?" And when they said, "Anaximenes'," "is he not ashamed," he says, "to have all these things, when he does not have himself?"

15Ε_126 Socrates. Wine takes on the character of the vessels; and wealth, that of its possessors' characters.

Sweat from exercise is more honorable; and wealth, from one's own labors.

He used to compare the money of the rich and profligate to fig trees on cliffs, from which a man cannot take, but crows and kites can, just as from these men courtesans and flatterers do.

The same man, having been asked who the lovers of money are, said: "Those who hunt for shameful gains, and neglect their needy friends."

The wealth of the avaricious, like the sun having set into the earth, delights no one among the living.

From Euripides' *Danaë*. O gold, most beautiful welcome sight for mortals, since not even a mother has such pleasures, not children for men, nor a beloved father. And if Cypris sees so much with her eyes, it is no wonder that she nurtures countless loves. Moschion. Just as it is not finery for a horse, nor does a nest give birds cause to be haughty and

to preen; but for the one, the swiftness of its foot, and for the others, that of their wings; so too for man it is not adornment and luxury, but goodness and beneficence.

800 Having been born among the Persians, you did not hasten to live in Greece, but to be happy living right there. But having been born in poverty, why do you hasten to be rich, and not to be happy remaining right there?

The sensible man, by honoring poverty with endurance and nobility, shows it to be more honorable than wealth.

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Οὐχ ὁ πλουτῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ μή χρῄζων πλούτου μακάριος. 797 Μέγιστόν ἐστι πλούτου, τό γινώσκειν ὅτι περιττός, ἐστιν. Ἄν μή πολλῶν ἐπιθυμεῖς, τά ὀλίγα πολλά δόξει. Μικρά γάρ ὄρεξις πενίαν

ἰσοσθενῆ πλούτου ποιήσει. Ὁ κατά φύσιν πλοῦτος, ἄρτῳ καί ὕδατι καί τῇ τυχούσῃ τοῦ σώματος σκέπῃ,

συμπεπλήρωται. Ὁ δέ περιττός, κατά ψυχήν ἀπέραντος, ἔχειν καί τήν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας βάσανον.

Ὁ αὐτός ἐρωτηθείς, πῶς ἄν τις γένηται πλούσιος· Ἐάν τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ἔσται πένης, φησίν.

Ὅσα μέν ἐπί τῇ φύσει, πάντες ἐσμέν πλούσιοι· ὅσα δ᾿ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, πάντες ἐσμέν πένητες.

Ὁ τῷ κατά φύσιν ἀρκούμενος πλούτῳ, τοῦ πολλά κεκτημένου, πλείονα δέ ἐπιθυμοῦντος, πολύ ἐστι πλουσιώτερος. Τῷ μέν γάρ οὐδέν ἐλλείπει· τῷ δέ, καί ὧν κέκτηται πολλῷ πλείονα.

Ἡ τέκνοις ἄγαν χρημάτων συναγωγή, πρόφασίς ἐστι φιλαργυρίας, τρόπον ἴδιον ἐλέγχουσα.

Τά μέγιστα τῶν κακῶν οἱ πενητες ἐκπεφεύγασι· ἐπιβουλήν, φθόνον καί μῖσος· οἷς οἱ πλούσιοι καθ᾿ ἡμέραν συνοικοῦσιν.

∆ιογένης. ∆ιογένης ὁ Κυνικός φιλόσοφος, ἐρωτηθείς ὑπό τινος, διά τί τό χρυσίον χλωρόν ἐστιν, εἶπεν· Ὅτι πολλούς ἐπιβούλους ἔχει.

Ὁ αὐτός ἰδών τούς Ἀναξιμένους οἰκέτας πολλά σκεύη περιφέροντας, ἤρετο· Τίνος ταῦτα; Τῶν δέ εἰπόντων, Ἀναξιμένους, οὐκ αἰδεῖται, φησί, ταῦτα ἔχων ἅπαντα, αὐτός ἑαυτόν μή ἔχων;

15Ε_126 Σωκράτης. Ὁ μέν οἶνος συμμεταβάλλεται τοῖς ἀγγείοις· ὁ δέ πλοῦτος, τοῖς τῶν κεκτημένων τρόποις.

Ἵδρως μέν ἐκ τῶν γυμνασίων εὐσχημονέστερον· πλοῦτος δέ, ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων πόνων.

Τά τῶν πλουσίων καί ἀσώτων χρήματα, ταῖς ἐπί τῶν κρημνῶν συκέαις εἴκαζεν, ἀφ᾿ ὧν ἄνθρωπον μέν μή λαμβάνειν, κόρακας δέ καί ἰκτίνους, ὥσπερ παρά τούτων ἑταίρας καί κόλακας.

Ὁ αὐτός ἐρωτηθείς, τίνες οἱ φιλοχρήματοι, ἔφη· Οἱ τά αἰσχρά κέρδη θηρώμενοι, καί τούς ἀναγκαίους τῶν φίλων ὑπερορῶντες.

Ὁ τῶν φιλαργύρων πλοῦτος, ὥσπερ ὁ ἥλιος καταδύς εἰς τήν γῆν, οὐδένα τῶν ζώντων εὐφραίνει.

Εὐριπίδου ἐν ∆αναῇ. Ὦ χρυσέ δεξίωμα κάλλιστον βροτοῖς, Ὡς οὐδέ μήτηρ ἡδονάς τοίας ἔχει, Οὐ παῖδες ἀνθρώποισιν, οὐ φίλος πατήρ. Εἰ δ' ἡ Κύπρις τοσοῦτον ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρᾷ, Οὐ θαῦμ᾿ ἔρωτας μυρίους αὐτήν τρέφειν. Μοσχίων. Ὥσπερ οὐ τῷ ἵππῳ κόσμος, οὐδέ τοῖς ὄρνεσι καλιά ὑψοῦσθαι καί

γαυριᾷν δίδωσιν· ἀλλά τῷ μέν τοῦ ποδός ἡ ὠκύτης, τοῖς δέ τῶν πτερῶν· οὕτως οὐδ᾿ ἀνθρώπῳ καλλωπισμός καί τρυφή, ἀλλά χρηστότης καί εὐποιία.

800 Ἐν Πέρσαις μέν γεννηθείς, οὐκ ἔσπευδες οἰκεῖν τήν Ἑλλάδα, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτόθι διάγων εὐτυχεῖν. Ἐν πενίᾳ δέ γεννηθείς, τί σπεύδεις πλουτεῖν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ αὐτόθι μένων εὐτυχεῖν;

Τήν πενίαν ὁ σώφρων καρτερίᾳ καί γενναιότητι τιμῶν, πλούτου τιμιωτέραν ἀποφαίνει.