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Of Epictetus. Ravens, on the one hand, injure the eyes of the dead, when there is no need of them; but flatterers, on the other hand, corrupt the souls of the living, and blind its eyes.

The anger of an ape, and the threat of a flatterer, must be considered as equal.

Accept those who are willing to advise good things, but not those who are always eager to flatter. For the former see what is advantageous in truth; but the latter look to what seems best to those in power; and imitating the shadows of bodies, they assent to what is said by them.

(792) Of Dio Chrysostom. For of all evils, so to speak, one would find flattery to be the worst. For first it corrupts praise, which is most beautiful and just, so that it no longer seems trustworthy nor truly given; and what is most terrible of all, it gives the prizes of virtue to vice; so that they do much worse than those who debase the currency. For the one group makes it suspect; but the other makes virtue untrustworthy.

Diogenes. In flattery, as on a tomb, only the name of friendship is inscribed.

The same man, having been asked, "What beast bites the worst?" said: "Of wild beasts, a slanderer; of tame ones, a flatterer."

Demosth. Demosthenes said that the flatterer differs from the raven in this, that the one devours the living, the other the dead.

Antisthen. Antisthenes says: It is better to fall among ravens than among flatterers; for the former defile the body of the dead, but the latter the soul of the living.

Favorin. Just as Actaeon died at the hands of the dogs he himself raised, so do flatterers devour those who feed them.

Of Zeno. Censure yourself, whoever you are, and not for favor.

Listen; but take away the bold speech of flatterers.

Pythagor. Rejoice more in those who rebuke you, than in those who flatter you; and avoid those who flatter as you would those who are worse than enemies.

Socrates. The goodwill of flatterers, just as from a rout, flees from misfortunes.

Of Philo. Turn away from the deceitful words of flatterers. For by dulling

the reasoning of the soul, they do not permit [one to see] the truth of matters. For either they praise things worthy of blame, or they often blame things better than praise.

Of Sotion from "On Anger". Dolphins swim along with swimmers as far as the surf; but they do not run aground onto dry land; so do flatterers wait around in fair weather, and sending friends off on a journey, they accompany them as far as the smooth sea; but whenever they come into a rough sea, they depart.

Photion. Photion was accustomed to say to Antipater: You cannot use me as both a friend and a flatterer.

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Ἐπικτήτου. Οἱ μέν κόρακες, τῶν τετελευτηκότων τούς ὀφθαλμούς λυναίνονται, ὅτα οὐδέν αὐτῶν ἐστι χρεία· οἱ δέ κόλακες, τῶν ζώντων τάς ψυχάς διαφθείρουσι, καί ταύτης ὄμματα τυφλώττουσιν.

Πιθήκου ὀργήν, καί κόλακος ἀπειλήν, ἐν ἴσῳ θετέον.

Ἀποδέχου τούς τά χρηστά συμβουλεύειν ἐθέλοντας, ἀλλά μή τούς κολακεύειν ἑκάστοτε σπεύδοντας. Οἱ μέν γάρ τό συμφέρον ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ὁρῶσιν· οἱ δέ, πρός τά δοκοῦντα τοῖς κρατοῦσιν ἀφορῶσι· καί τῶν σωμάτων τάς σκιάς μιμούμενοι, τοῖς παρ᾿ αὐτῶν λεγομένοις συννεύουσιν.

(792) ∆ίωνος τοῦ Χρυσοστ. Πασῶν γάρ, ὡς ἕπος εἰπεῖν, τῶν κακιῶν, ἐσχάτην ἄν τις εὕροι τήν κολακείαν. Πρῶτον μέν γάρ τό κάλλιστον καί δικαιότατον διαφθείρει τόν ἔπαινον, ὥστε μηκέτι δοκεῖν πιστόν μηδ᾿ ἀληθῶς γινόμενον· καί τό γε πάντων δεινότατον, τά τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔπαθλα τῇ κακίᾳ δίδωσιν· ὥστε πολύ χεῖρον δρῶσι τῶν διαφθειρόντων τό νόμισμα. Οἱ μέν γάρ ὕποπτον αὐτό ποιοῦσιν· οἱ δέ τήν ἀρετήν ἄπιστον.

∆ιογέν. Ἐπί τῆς κολακείας, ὥσπερ ἐπί μνήματος, αὐτό μόνον τό ὄνομα τῆς φιλίας ἐπιγέγραπται.

Ὁ αὐτός ἐρωτηθείς, Τί τῶν θηρίων κάκιστα δάκνει; ἔφη· Τῶν μέν ἀγρίων, συκοφάντης· τῶν δέ ἡμέρων, κόλαξ.

∆ημοσθ. ∆ημοσθένης ἔφη, τόν κόλακα τοῦτο διαφέρειν τοῦ κόρακος, ὅτι ὁ μέν ζῶντας, ὁ δέ νεκρούς ἐσθίει.

Ἀντισθέν. Ἀντισθένης φησίν· Αἱρετώτερον εἰς κόρακας ἐμπεσεῖν, ἤ εἰς κόλακας· οἱ μέν γάρ ἀποθανόντος τό σῶμα, οἱ δέ ζῶντος τήν ψυχήν λυμαίνονται.

Φαβωρίν. Ὥσπερ ὁ Ἀκταίων ὑπό τῶν τρεφομένων ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ κυνῶν ἀπέθανεν, οὕτως οἱ κόλακες τούς τρέφοντας κατεσθίουσιν.

Ζήνωνος. Ἔλεγχε σαυτόν, ὅστις εἶ, καί μή πρός χάριν.

Ἄκου· ἀφαιροῦ δέ κολάκων παῤῥησίαν.

Πυθαγόρ. Χαῖρε τοῖς ἐλέγχουσί σε μᾶλλον, ἤ τοῖς κολακεύουσιν· ὡς δ᾿ ἐχθρῶν χείρονας ἐκτρέπου τούς κολακεύοντας.

Σωκράτης. Ἡ τῶν κολάκων εὔνοια καθάπερ ἐκ τροπῆς, φεύγει τάς ἀτυχίας.

Φίλωνος. Ἀποστρέφου τῶν κολάκων τούς ἀπατηλούς λόγους. Ἐξαμβλύνοντες

γάρ τούς τῆς ψυχῆς λογισμούς, οὐ συγχωροῦσι [ἰδεῖν] τῶν πραγμάτων τήν ἀλήθειαν. Ἤ γάρ ἐπαινοῦσι τά ψόγου ἄξια, ἤ ψέγουσι πολλάκις τά ἐπαίνων κρείττονα.

Σωτιώνου ἐκ τοῦ περί ὀργῆς. Οἱ δελφῖνες μέχρι τοῦ κλύδωνος συνδιανήχονται τοῖς κολυμβῶσι· πρός δέ τό ξηρόν οὐκ ἐξοκείλουσι· οὕτως οἱ κόλακες ἐν εὐδίᾳ περιμένουσι, καί τούς φίλους εἰς ἀποδημίαν προπέμποντες μέχρι τῆς λείας συμπαρακολουθοῦσιν· ἐπειδάν δέ εἰς τραχεῖαν ἔλθωσιν, ἀπίασιν.

Φωτίων. Φωτίων εἰώθει λέγειν πρός Ἀντίπατρον· Οὐ δύνασαί μοι καί φίλῳ καί κόλακι χρήσασθαι.