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Those who deliberate make past events examples for future ones. For the unseen has its quickest diagnosis from the seen.

Isocrates. He who has ill intentions regarding his own affairs will never deliberate well concerning

those of others. Demonact. Educate yourself with the examples of others, and you will be untouched by the evils

you will be. Of Aristeides. To conquer in battles often falls even to the worthless;

but to be able to prevail by prudence and wisdom belongs only to those who know how to deliberate. Of Gaius. I think it more prudent than to complain with passion, to guard before suffering

so as not to suffer. Of Solon. Advise not the most pleasant things, but the best. Of Epictetus. Deliberate much about saying or doing anything; for you will not have permission

to recall what has been said or done. Of Bias. To become strong in body is the work of nature; but to say the things that are

beneficial to the fatherland is proper to soul and prudence. The same man, being asked who is the best counselor, said: "Opportunity." He said that the prudent are benefited more by the foolish than the foolish by the

prudent; for the former guard against the mistakes of the latter, while the latter do not imitate the successes of the former.

A good man must remember past events, do present things, and make secure future things.

(736) There is one principle for deliberating well: to know what the subject is about; if not, one must necessarily err completely.

Of Euripides in Antiope. The mind is a great bridle for the soul. The weakness and the womanliness of my body You have wrongly blamed; for if I have a sound mind, This is stronger than a mighty arm. Of Sophocles in Ajax. From these ways, however, there could never be Stability of any law, If we shall cast out those who conquer justly, And bring those from behind to the front. But these things must be yielded to; for it is not the broad, Nor the wide-backed men who are the most secure,

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Βουλευόμενοι παραδείγματα ποιοῦνται παρεληλυθότα τῶν μελλόντων. Τό γάρ ἀφανές, ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ ταχίστην ἔχει τήν διάγνωσιν.

Ἰσοκράτ. Ὁ κακῶς διανοηθείς περί τῶν οἰκείων, οὐδέποτε καλῶς βουλεύσεται περί

τῶν ἀλλοτρίων. ∆ημώνακτ. Ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις παραδείγμασι παίδευε σεαυτόν, καί ἀπαθής τῶν κακῶν

ἔσῃ. Ἀριστείδου. Τό μέν νικᾷν ἐν ταῖς μάχαις, καί τοῖς φαύλοις πολλάκις περιγίνεται·

φρονήσει δέ καί σοφίᾳ κρατεῖν δύνασθαι, μόνον ἐστί τῶν εἰδότων βουλεύεσθαι. Γαΐου. Σωφρονέστερον οἶμαι τοῦ μετά τοῦ πάθους ἐγκαλεῖν, τό πρί παθεῖν

φυλάξασθαι τοῦ μή παθεῖν. Σόλωνος. Συμβούλευε, μή τά ἤδιστα, ἀλλά τά ἄριστα. Ἐπικτήτου. Βουλεύου πολλά περί τοῦ λέγειν τι ἤ πράττειν· οὐ γάρ ἕξεις ἄδειαν

ἀνακαλέσασθαι τά λεχθέντα ἤ πραχθέντα. Βίας. Τό μέν ἰσχυρόν τῷ σώματι γενέσθαι, φύσεως ἔργον· τό δέ λέγειν τά

συμφέροντα τῇ πατρίδι, ψυχῆς ἴδιον καί φρονήσεως. Ὁ αὐτός ἐρωτηθείς, τίς ἄριστος σύμβουλος, ἔφη· Ὁ καιρός. Τούς φρονίμους ἔλεγε μᾶλλον ὑπό τῶν ἀφρόνων, ἤ τούς ἄφρονας ὑπό τῶν

φρονίμων ὠφελεῖσθαι· τούτους μέν γάρ φυλάττεσθαι τάς ἐκείνων ἁμαρτίας· ἐκείνους δέ, τάς τούτων μή μιμεῖσθαι κατορθώσεις.

∆εῖ τόν ἀγαθόν ἄνδρα, μεμνῆσθαι μέν τῶν γενομένων, πράττειν δέ τά ἐνεστῶτα· περί δέ τῶν μελλόντων ἀσφαλίζεσθαι.

(736) Μία ἐστίν ἀρχή τοῦ καλῶς βουλεύεσθαι, τό γνῶναι περί ὅτου ὁ λόγος· εἰ δέ μή, τοῦ παντός ἁμαρτάνειν ἀνάγκη.

Εὐριπίδου ἐν Ἀντιόπῃ. Ψυχῇ μέγας χαλινός ἐστιν ὁ νοῦς. Τό δ᾿ ἀσθενές μου καί τό θῆλυ σώματος Κακῶς ἐμέμφθης· εἰ γάρ εὖ φρονεῖν ἔχω, Κρεῖσσον τόδε ἐστί καρτεροῦ βραχίονος. Σοφοκλέοις ἐν Αἴαντι. Ἐκ τῶνδε μέντοι τῶν τρόπων οὐκ ἄν ποτε Λατάστασις γένοιτ᾿ ἄν οῦδενός νόμου· Εἰ τούς δίκῃ νικῶντας ἐξωθήσομεν, Καί τούς ὄπισθεν εἰς τό πρόσθεν ἄξομεν. Ἀλλ᾿ εἰκτέον τάδ᾿ ἐστίν· οὐ γάρ οἱ πλατεῖς, Οὐδ᾿ εὐρύνωτοι φῶτες ἀσφλέστατοι,