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Isaiah 3. Those who call you blessed, lead you astray, and disturb the path of your ways.

Of Basil. Let us flee flattery and fawning, and the gainful and wily nature of the Archilochian fox.

For nothing is more difficult for those who are wise, than to live for glory, and to consider what seems right to the many, and not to make right reason the guide of one's life.

Of the Theologian. If, when I was bad, you supposed me to be the best, what should I have done? Be worse, so that I might please you more? I would not have advised this for myself. Thus, neither if, when I am doing right, you suppose me to be stumbling, will I change my right action on account of you. For I do not live for you more than for myself.

(789) For it is the mark of a magnanimous man to accept the frankness of friends rather than the flattery of enemies.

It is much better by grieving someone a little to benefit them greatly, than by pursuing pleasure, to cause harm in the main thing.

Chrysostom. When some change for the worse occurs, then the masks of the flatterers are removed. Then the chorus of hypocrites is exposed, and the pretense of the matter. Everyone's mouths are opened, saying, "The defiled one, the wicked one, the all-wicked one." Did you not flatter him yesterday? Did you not kiss his hands? Those things were a mask. The time came, and I threw off the mask, and I revealed my thought.

Of Clement. Flattery is a disease of friendship; the successes of rulers rather than the rulers themselves most people are accustomed to court.

Plutarch. Flattery resembles a painted suit of armor. Therefore it has delight, but provides no use.

The wood that increases the fire, is consumed by the fire itself; and wealth that nourishes flatterers, is destroyed by these very ones.

Just as ravens lying in wait pluck out the eyes of the dead; so flatterers with their praises corrupt the reasonings of men

A dog to a hare, and a flatterer to a friend must be considered an enemy by nature.

One must not prefer the courtesan to the wife, nor flattery to friendship.

One ought to rejoice in those who rebuke, not in those who flatter. For the ones who grieve us, corrupt us; but the ones who gratify us, weaken and trip us up.

Isocrates. Distinguish both those who flatter with art, and those who serve with good will, so that the wicked may not have more than the good.

Hate those who flatter just as those who deceive; for both, when they are trusted, wrong those who trust them.

Crates. Crates, to a rich young man who was drawing many flatterers after him, said, "Young man, I pity your solitude."

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Ἡσαι. Γ´. Οἱ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς, πλανῶσιν ὑμᾶς, καί τήν τρίβον τῶν ὁδῶν ταράττουσιν.

Βασιλείου. Φύγωμεν κολακείας καί θωπείας, καί τῆς ἀρχιλόχου ἀλώπεκος τί κερδαλέον καί ποικίλον.

Οὐδέν γάρ χαλεπώτερον τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσι, τοῦ πρός δόξαν ζῇν, καί τά τοῖς πολλοῖς δοκοῦντα περισκοπειν, καί μή τόν ὀρθόν λόγον ἡγεμόνα ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ βίου.

Θεολόγου. Εἰ μέ ὄντα κακόν, ἄριστον ὑπελάμβανες, τί με ποιεῖν ἐχρῆν; εἶναι μᾶλλον κακόν, ἵνα πλέον ἀρέσκω σοι; οὐκ ἄν τοῦτο ἑναυτῷ συνεβούλευσα. Οὕτως οὐδέ εἰ κατορθοῦντά με πταίειν ὑπολαμβάνεις, τό κατορθοῦν διά σέ μεταθήσομαι. Οὐ ζῶ γάρ σοί μᾶλλον ἤ ἑμαυτῷ.

(789) Ἔστι γάρ ἀνδρός μεγαλόφρονος φίλων ἀποδέχεσθαι μᾶλλον ἐλευθερίαν, ἤ ἐχθρῶν κολακείαν.

Πολλῷ βέλτιον βραχέα λυπήσαντα μέγιστα ὠφελῆσαι, ἤ τό πρός ἡδονήν διώκοντα, ζημιῶσαι τῷ κεφαλαίῳ.

Χρυσοστ. Ὅταν μεταβολή τις γένηται πρός τό χεῖρον, τότε τῶν κολάκων ἀφαιρεῖται τά προσωπεῖα. Τότε ὁ χορός ἐλέγχεται τῶν ὑποκριτῶν, καί ἡ σκῆψις τοῦ πράγματος. Ἀνοίγονται πάντων τά στόματα, Ὁ μιαρός, λέγοντες, ὁ πονηρός, ὁ παμπόνηρος. Οὐ χθές αὐτόν ἐκολάκευες; οὐ τάς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ κατεφίλεις; Προσωπεῖον ἦν ἐκεῖνα. Ἦλθεν ὁ καιρός, καί ἔῤῥιψα τό προσωπεῖον, καί ἀπεφηνάμην τῇ διανοίᾳ.

Κλήμεντος. Νόσος φιλίας ἡ κολακεία· τάς τῶν ἀρχόντων εὐπραγίας μᾶλλον, ἤ τούς ἄρχοντας αὐτούς εἰώθασι θεραπεύειν οἱ πλεῖστοι.

Πλουτάρχ. Ἔοικεν ἡ κολακεία γραπτῇ πανοπλίᾳ. ∆ιό τέρψιν μέν ἔχει· χρείαν δέ οὐδεμίαν παρέχει.

Τά μέν ξύλα τό πῦρ αὐξάνοντα, ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πυρός καταναλίσκεται· ὁ δέ πλοῦτος τρέφων τούς κόλακας, ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν τούτων διαφθείρεται.

Ὥσπερ οἱ κόρακες παρεδρεύοντες ἐξορύσσουσι τούς τῶν νεκρῶν ὀφθαλμούς· οὕτως οἱ κόλακες τοῖς ἐπαίνοις τούς λογισμούς διαφθείρουσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων

Λαγῷ μέν κύνα, φίλῳ δέ κόλακα φύσει πολέμιον ἡγητέον.

Οὔτε τῆς γαμετῆς τήν ἑταίραν, οὔτε τῆς φιλίας τήν κολακείαν δεῖ προτιμᾷν.

Χαίρειν χρή τοῖς ἐλέγχουσιν, οὐ τοῖς κολακεύουσιν. Οἱ μέν γάρ ἡμᾶς λυποῦντες, διεφείρουσιν· οἱ δέ χαριζόμενοι, ἐκλύουσι καί σκελίζουσιν.

Ἰσοκράτ. ∆ιόρα καί τούς τέχνῃ κολακεύοντας, καί τούς μετ᾿ εὐνοίας θεραπεύοντας, ἵνα μή πλεῖον οἱ πονηροί τῶν χρηστῶν ἔχωσιν.

Μίσει τούς κολακεύοντας ὥσπερ τούς ἐξαπατοῦντας· ἀφμότεροι γάρ πιστευθέντες, τούς πιστεύσαντας ἀδικοῦσι.

Κράτης. Κράτης πρός νέον πλούσιον πολλούς κόλακας ἐπισυρόμενον, εἶπε, Νεανίσκε, ἐλεῶ σου τήν ἐρημίαν.