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O kings, reverence the purple; for the Word will legislate even for legislators. Know what has been entrusted to you, and what is the mystery concerning you. The whole world is held in our hand by a small diadem and a short cloth. The things above are of God alone; the things below are also yours. Become gods to those under you; that I may say something even bolder: a king's heart is in the hand of God, it has been both said and believed. Herein is your strength, but not in gold and in phalanxes.

Show your effectiveness not by doing evil, but by doing something good, if you wish to be a god. But this is of a man who knows his kinsmen; for both a turtledove and a scorpion kill most easily.

Chrysostom. The greatness of honor, to those who choose not to live worthily, is an addition of punishment.

Scripture knows two kingdoms of God, the one by adoption, the other by creation. For He rules over all, both Greeks, and Jews, and demons, and those who are set against Him, according to the principle of creation.

When a ruler is blameless to all, then he is able with as much authority as he wishes both to punish and to forgive all those arrayed under him.

Nothing so shows the one who has authority as affection for those who are ruled. For it is not only begetting that makes a father, but also loving after begetting. And if where there is nature, there is need of love, much more so where there is grace.

A ruler is not in the cloak and the belt, nor in the voice of the herald, but in reclaiming what is corrupt, and correcting what is in a bad state; and in punishing injustice; and not allowing justice to be driven away by power.

Philo. God needs nothing; but the king needs God alone. Imitate therefore the one who needs nothing, and be generous to those who ask for mercy, not being scrupulous concerning your supplicants, but providing to all the resources for living. For it is much better to pity both the worthy and the unworthy for the sake of the worthy, (780) and not to deprive the worthy for the sake of the unworthy.

Aristotle. He who is fearsome to many, fears many.

Those rulers who have sense must be admired not for their offices, but for their virtues, so that, if their fortune should change, they may be deemed worthy of the same praises.

Isocrates. Envy not those who have acquired the greatest power, but those who have used their present circumstances best.

He said the worst ruler is one who is not able to rule himself.

Democritus. Choose in life to be desired rather than feared; for he whom all fear, fears all.

A ruler must have, for the times, reason; for his opponents, courage; for his subjects, goodwill.

He who is going to rule others must first rule himself.

Cleitarchus. It is better for the foolish to be ruled, than to rule.

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Οἱ βασιλεῖς, αἰδεῖσθε τήν ἁλουργίδα· νομοθετήσει γάρ καί νομοθέταις ὁ λόγος. Γινώσκετε τί τό πιστευθέν ὑμῖν, καί τί τό περί ὑμᾶς μυστήριον. Κόσμος ὅλος ὑπό χεῖρα τήν ἡμετέραν διαδήματι μικρῷ καί βραχεῖ ῥακίῳ κρατούμενος. Τά μέν ἄνω, μόνου Θεοῦ· τά δέ κάτω, καί ὑμῶν. Θεοί γίνεσθε τοῖς ὑφ᾿ ὑμᾶς· ἵνα εἴπω τι καί τολμηρότερον· Καρδία βασιλέως ἐν χειρί Θεοῦ, καί εἴρηται καί πεπίστευται. Ἐνταῦθα ἔσω τό κράτος ὑμῶν, ἀλλά μή ἐν τῷ χρυσῷ καί ταῖς φάλαγξι.

Τό δραστήριον δείκνυε μή τῷ δρᾷν κακῶς, τῷ δ᾿ εὖ τι ποιεῖν, εἰ θέλεις εἶναι θεός. Τό δέ ἔστιν ἀνδρός εἰδότος συγγενεῖς· κτείνει δέ ῥᾷστα καί τρυγών καί σκορπίος.

Χρυσπστ. Τιμῆς μέγεθος, τοῖς οὐκ ἀξίως ζῇν προαιρουμένοις, προσθήκη τιμωρίας ἐστίν.

Βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ δύο οἶδεν ἡ Γραφή, τήν μέν κατ᾿ οἰκείωσιν, τήν δέ κατά δημιουργίαν, Βασιλεύει μέν γάρ ἁπάντων, καί Ἑλλήνων, καί Ἰουδαίων, καί δαιμόνων, καί τῶν ἀντιτεταγμένων, κατά τόν τῆς δημιουργίας λόγον.

Ὅταν ἄρχων ἀνεπίληπτος ᾖ πᾶσι, τότε δύναται μεθ᾿ ὅσης βούλεται ἐξουσίας καί κολάζειν καί συγχωρεῖν, τούς ὑπ᾿ αὐτῷ ταττομένους ἅπαντας.

Οὐδέν οὕτω δείκνυσι τόν τήν ἀρχήν ἔχοντα ὡς ἡ φιλοστοργία περί τούς ἀρχομένους. Καί γάρ πατέρα οὐ τό γεννῆσαι μόνον ποιεῖ, ἀλλά καί τό φιλεῖν μετά τό γεννῆσαι. Εἰ δέ ἔνθα φύσις, ἀγάπης χρεία, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔνθα ἡ χάρις.

Οὐκ ἐν τῇ χλανίδι καί τῇ ζώνῃ, οὐδέ ἐν τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ κήρυκος ἄρχων, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τῷ τά πεπονηκότα ἀνακτᾶσθαι, καί τά κακῶς ἔχοντα διορθοῦν· καί κολάζειν μέν ἀδικίαν· μή συγχωρεῖν δέ ὑπό δυναστείας τό δίκαιον ἀπελαύνεσθαι.

Φίλων. Ὁ μέν Θεός οὐδενός δεῖται· ὁ βασιλεύς δέ, μόνου Θεοῦ. Μιμοῦ τοίνυν τόν οὐδενός δεόμενον, καί δαψιλεύου τοῖς αἰτοῦσι τόν ἔλεον, μή ἀκριβολογούμενος περί τούς σούς ἱκέτας, ἀλλά πᾶσι παρέχων τάς πρός τό ζῇν ἀφορμάς. Πολύ γάρ κρεῖττόν ἐστι διά τούς ἀξίου ἐλεεῖν καί τούς ἀναξίους, (780) καί μή τούς ἀξίους ἀποστερεῖν διά τούς ἀναξίους.

Ἀριστοτέλ. Ὁ πολλοῖς φοβερός ὤν, πολλούς φοβεῖται.

∆εῖ τούς νοῦν ἔχοντας τῶν δυναστευόντων, μή διά τάς ἀρχάς, ἀλλά διά τάς ἀρετάς θαυμάζεσθαι, ἵνα τύχης μεταπεσούσης, τῶν αὐτῶν ἐγκωμίων ἀξιῶνται.

Ἰσοκράτ. Ζήλου μή τούς μεγίστην ἀρχήν κτησαμένους, ἀλλά τούς ἄριστα τῇ παρούσῃ χρησαμένους.

Κάκιστον ἔλεγεν ἄρχοντα εἶναι, τόν ἄρχειν ἑαυτοῦ μή δυνάμενον.

∆ημοκρίτ. Ποθητός εἶναι μᾶλλον ἤ φοβερός κατά τόν βίον προαιροῦ· ὅν γάρ πάντες φοβοῦνται, πάντας φοβεῖται.

Τόν ἄρχοντα δεῖ ἔχειν, πρός μέν τούς καιρούς λογισμόν· πρός δέ τούς ἐναντίους τόλμαν· πρός δέ τούς ὑποτεταγμένους εὔνοιαν.

∆εῖ τόν ἑτέρων μέλλοντα ἄρξειν, αὐτόν ἑαυτοῦ πρότερον ἄρχειν.

Κλειτάρχ. Κρεῖσσον ἄρχεσθαι τοῖσιν ἀνοήτοις, ἤ ἄρχειν.