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A cowardly and weak man, corrupted by wealth and softness, is not worthy of a dog or a donkey.

Choose to live in such a way, as neither to be despised by the more powerful, nor to be feared by the weaker.

Demosth. Just as of a house, I think, and of a ship and of other such things, the lower parts must be the strongest; so also of actions, the beginnings and the foundations, must be true and just.

Of Cleitarchus. Do not consider having virtue to be a fine thing, but rather doing so as one ought and for the things one ought.

Having virtue, you will have all things; but having vice, not even yourself.

Socrates. Seeing one of his students taking care of his field, but neglecting his conduct, he said: "Take care, you, lest while wishing to cultivate the field, you make your soul wild."

And observing one of his acquaintances who was eager that his portrait be a likeness of him, he said to him. You are eager that the stone should be like you; but you do not care that you yourself not become like a stone.

Demonax. He reproached those taking care of their bodies, but neglecting themselves, as if taking care of their houses, but neglecting the inhabitants.

Democrit. One must have one's writings more secure, and one's actions more splendid.

(729) Doing nothing unworthy of Him will make you worthy of God.

Bias. Try to live in such a way, as if you will live both a short time and a long time.

Laconian. A Laconian, being asked why Sparta is without walls, said: "Do not lie; for it has been walled by the virtues of its inhabitants."

Diogenes, when someone reproached him for entering unclean places, said: "So does the sun, but it is not defiled."

Of Lindius. One must preserve piety; advise the best things for the citizens; control pleasure; do nothing by violence; consider the enemy of the people a foe; do not punish drunken servants; otherwise, you will seem to be drunk yourself.

Of Lycurgus. Lycurgus the lawgiver said that the creditworthiness of men lies in their substance; but their trustworthiness, in their characters.

Of Pythagoras. It is impossible for the same person to be a lover of pleasure, a lover of the body, a lover of money, and a lover of God. For the lover of pleasure is by all means also a lover of money; and the lover of money is, by necessity, also unjust; and the unjust man is impious toward God, and lawless toward man.

Call upon God to be your helper as you train yourself against those things which you will not need when you are freed from the body.

Of Diodorus. All men, on account of the weakness of their nature, live for but a momentary part of all eternity; and are dead for all the time that follows. And for those who in life have done nothing worthy of mention, along with the end of their bodies also die the...

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Οὐκ ἔστι κυνός ἀντάξιος οὐδ᾿ ὄνου δειλός ἀνήρ καί ἄναλκις, ὑπό πλούτου καί μαλακίας διεῤῥυηκώς.

Οὕτως ζῇν προαιροῦ, ὡς μήτε τῶν δυνατωτέρων καταφρονεῖσθαι, μήτε τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις φοβερός εἶναι.

∆ημοσθ. Ὥσπερ οἰκίας, οἶμαι, καί πλοίου καί τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων, τά κάτωθεν ἰσχυρότερα εἶναι δεῖ· οὕτω καί τῶν πράξεων τάς ἀρχάς καί τάς ὑποθείσεις, ἀληθεῖς καί δικαίας.

Κλειτάρχου.Μή τό ἔχειν ἀρετήν καλόν νόμιζε, ἀλλά τό ὡς δεῖ καί ὑπέρ ὧν δεῖ.

Ἀρετήν μέν ἔχων, πάντα ἕξεις· κακίαν δέ, οὐδέ σεαυτόν.

Σωκράτης. Θεασάμενός τινα τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, τοῦ μέν ἀγροῦ ἐπιμελούμενον, τῆς πράξεως δέ ἀμελοῦντα· Ὅρα, ὦ οὗτος, ἔφη, μή τόν ἀγρόν ἐξημερῶσαι βουλόμενος, τήν ψυχήν ἀγριώσῃς.

Καταμαθών δέ τινα τῶν γνωρίμων ἐσπουδακότα ὅπως αὐτῷ ἡ εἰκών ὁμοία γένηται, πρός αὐτόν εἶπε. Σύ ὅπως μέν σοι ὁ λίθος ὅμοιος γένηται ἐσπούδακας· ὅπως δέ μή αὐτός λίθῳ ὅμοιος γένῃ, οὐ φροντίζεις.

∆ημώνακτ.Τούς τῶν σωμάτων ἐπιμελουμένους, ἑαυτῶν δέ ἀμελοῦντας ὠνείδιζεν, ὡς τῶν μέν οἴκων ἐπιμελουμένους, τῶν δέ ἐνοίκων ἀμελοῦντας.

∆ημόκριτ.Τάς μέν γραμμάς ἀσφαλεστέρας, τάς δέ πράξεις λαμπροτέρας ἔχειν δεῖ.

(729) Θεοῦ ἄξιόν σε ποιήσει, τό μηδέν ἀνάξιον αὐτοῦ πράττειν.

Βίας. Οὕτω πειρῶ ζῇν, ὡς καί ὀλίγον καί πολύν χρόνον βιωσόμενος.

Λάκων. Λάκων ἐρωτηθείς, διατί ἀτείχιστός ἐστιν ἡ Σπάρτη· Μή ψεύδου, ἔφη· τετείχισται γάρ ταῖς τῶν οἰκούντων ἀρεταῖς.

∆ιογένης, Ὀνειδίσαντος αὐτῷ τινος, ὡς εἰς ἀκαθάρτους τόπους εἰσέρχεται, ἔφη· Καί ὁ ἥλιος, ἀλλ' οὐ μιαίνεται.

Λινδίου. Εὐσέβεαιν δεῖ φυλάσσειν· πολίταις τά βέλτιστα συμβουλεύειν· ἡδονῆς κρατεῖν· βίᾳ μηδέν πράττειν· τόν τοῦ δήμου ἐχθρόν πολέμιον νομίζειν· οἰκέτας μεθύοντας μή κολάζειν· εἰ δέ μή, δόξεις παροινεῖν.

Λυκούργου.Λυκοῦργος ὁ νομοθέτης, τό μέν ἀξιόχρεων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔφη ἐν τῇ οὐσίᾳ κεῖσθαι· τό δέ ἀξιόπιστον, ἐν τοῖς τρόποις.

Πυθαγόρου. Φιλήδονον, φιλοσώματον, φιλοχρήματον καί φιλόθεον τόν αὐτόν, ἀδύνατον εἶναι. Ὁ γάρ φιλήδονος πάντως καί φιλοχρήματος· ὁ δέ φιλοχρήματος, ἐξ ἀνάγκης καί ἄδικος· ὁ δέ ἄδικος, εἰς μέν Θεόν ἀνόσιος, εἰς δέ ἄνθρωπον παράνομος.

Ὧν τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλαγείς οὐ δεήσῃ, πρός ταῦτά σοι ἀσκουμένῳ Θεόν παρακάλει γίνεσθαι συλλήπτορα.

∆ιοδώρου. Πάντες ἄνθρωποι διά τήν τῆς φύσεως ἀσθένειαν, βιοῦσι μέν ἀκαριαῖόν τι μέρος τοῦ παντός αἰῶνος· τετελευτήκασι δέ πᾶν τόν ὕστερον χρόνον. Καί τοῖς μέν ἐν τῷ ζῇν μηδέν ἀξιόλογον πράξασι, ἅμα ταῖς τῶν σωμάτων τελευταῖς συναποθνήσκει καί τά