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Solomon 12. For this reason you correct those who fall away little by little, O Lord, and reminding them of the things in which they sin, you admonish them, so that being delivered from their wickedness, they might believe in you.

Sirach 18. The mercy of the Lord is upon all flesh, reproving and admonishing and turning back as a shepherd his flock.

Basil. For a lesson by force is not wont to remain; but that which enters with delight and grace, somehow settles more permanently in souls.

He who wishes to raise the one who is lying down, must by all means be higher (817) than the one who has fallen; but he who has fallen equally, he himself also lies waiting for another to raise him.

Theologian. Let not pain be without comfort, nor well-doing without instruction.

Chrysostom. Let us not attempt to heal others, while we ourselves teem with sores.

It is profitable for those who sin to be stung by the pain of words, so that they may be delivered from the ugliness of deeds.

One must not be burdened by exhortation. For if one must be burdened, it should be me, who speaks often and is not heard; not you, who are always hearing, but always disobeying.

Aristotle. Do not consider being admonished as less than being praised.

Diogenes. To heal a dead man and to admonish an old man, is the same thing.

Demosthenes. When someone asked how one might become his own teacher, he said, if for what he rebukes others, he would rebuke himself most of all.

Of Demetrius of Phalerum. For what friends do not dare to advise rulers, these things have been written in books.

Just as honey stings the ulcerated parts, but is sweet to the healthy; so also are the words from philosophy.

Euripides. We are all wise in admonishing. But when we ourselves do them, we do not know it. Aesop. Aesop said, that each of us carries two sacks; the one, in front; and the other,

behind; and in the one in front, we place the faults of others; but in the one behind, our own; for which reason we do not see them.

Isocrates. Neither stand by nor advocate for any evil deed; for you will seem to do such things yourself, if you help others doing them.

Of Epictetus. The one who admonishes must first take care for the reverence and shame of those being admonished; for those who have lost their blush are incorrigible.

It is better to admonish than to reproach; for the one is gentle and friendly; but the other, harsh and insulting; and the one corrects those who sin, but the other, only exposes.

Empedocles. Being asked, why he was so very indignant when spoken ill of, he said. Because I will not even perceive being praised, if I am not distressed when spoken ill of.

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Σολομῶντος ιβ´. ∆ιά τοῦτο τούς παραπίπτοντας κατ᾿ ὀλίγον ἐλέγχεις, Κύριε, καί ἐν οἷς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ὑπομιμνήσκων νουθετεῖς, ἵνα ἀπαλλαγέντες τῆς κακίας αὐτῶν πιστεύσωσιν ἐπί σέ.

Σιράχ ιη´. Ἐλεος Κυρίου ἐπί πᾶσαν σάρκα, ἐλέγχων καί νουθετῶν καί ἐπιστρέφων ὡς ποιμήν τό ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ.

Βασιλ. Βίαιον γάρ μάθημα οὐ πέφυκε παραμένειν· τό δέ μετά τέρψεως καί χάριτος εἰσδυόμενον, μονιμώτερόν πως ψυχαῖς ἐνιζάνει.

Ὁ τόν κείμενον ἐγείρειν βουλόμενος, ὑψηλότερος (817) εἶναι τοῦ πεπτωκότος πάντως ὀφείλει· ὁ δέ ἐξ ἴσου καταπεσών, ἑτέρου καί αὐτός ἀνιστῶντος κεῖται.

Θεολ. Μήτε τό ἀλγεῖν ἀπαραμύθητον, μήτε τό εὖ πράττειν ἀπαιδαγώγητον.

Χρυσοστ. Μή ἄλλους ἰατρεύειν ἐπιχειρήσωμεν, αὐτοί βρύοντες ἕλκεσιν.

Συμφέρει δάκνεσθαι διά τῆς τῶν ῥημάτων ἀλγηδόνος τούς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ἵνα τῆς διά τῶν πραγμάτων ἀσχημοσύνης ἀπαλλαγῶσιν.

Μή δεῖ βαρύνεσθαι τήν παραίνεσιν. Εἰ γάρ βαρύνεσθαι ἔδει, ἐμέ τόν πολλάκις λέγοντα καί οὐκ ἀκουόμενον· οὐχ ὑμᾶς, τούς ἀεί μέν ἀκούοντας, ἀεί δέ παρακούοντας.

Ἀριστοτ. Μή ἔλαττον ἡγοῦ τοῦ ἐπαινεῖσθαι τό νουθετεῖσθαι.

∆ιογένης. Νεκρόν ἰατρεύειν καί γέροντα νουθετεῖν, ταυτόν ἐστιν.

∆ημοσθ. Πυνθανομένου τινός, πῶς ἄν τις ἑαυτοῦ διδάσκαλος γένηται, εἴπερ ὧν ἐπιτιμᾷ τοῖς ἄλλοις, ἔφη, καί ἑαυτῷ ἐπιτιμῴη μάλιστα.

∆ημητρίου Φαληρέως. Ἅ γάρ οἱ φίλοι τοῖς βασιλεύουσιν οὐ θαῤῥοῦσι παραινεῖν, ταῦτα ἐν τοῖς βιβλίοις γέγραπται.

Ὥσπερ τό μέλι τά ἡλκωμένα δάκνει, τοῖς δέ κατά φύσιν ἡδύ ἐστιν· οὕτω καί οἱ ἐκ φιλοσοφίας λόγοι.

Εὐριπίδ. Ἅπαντές ἐσμεν εἰς τό νουθετεῖν σοφοί. Αὐτοί δ᾿ ὅταν ποιῶμεν, οὐ γινώσκομεν. Αἰσώπ. Αἴσωπος ἔφη, δύο πήρας ἕκαστος ἡμῶν φέρειν· τήν μέν, ἔμπροσθεν· τήν δέ,

ὄπισθεν· καί εἰς μέν τήν ἔμπροσθεν, ἀποτιθέναι τά τῶν ἄλλων ἁμαρτήματα· εἰς δέ τήν ὄπισθεν, τά ἑαυτῶν· διό οὔτε καθορῶμεν αὐτά.

Ἰσοκράτ. Μηδενί πονηρῷ πράγματι μήτε παρίστασο, μήτε συνηγόρει· δόξεις γάρ καί αὐτός τοιαῦτα πράττειν, εἰ τοῖς ἄλλοις πράττουσι βοηθεῖς.

Ἐπικτήτου. Τόν νουθετοῦτνα δεῖ πρῶτον τῆς τῶν νουθετουμένων αἰδοῦς τε καί αἰσχύνης ἐπιμελεῖσθαι· οἱ γάρ ἀπερυθριάσαντες ἀδιόρθωτοι.

Κρεῖττον τό νουθετεῖν τοῦ ὀνειδίζειν· τό μέν γάρ, ἤπιόν τε καί φίλον· τό δέ, σκληρόν καί ὑβριστικόν· καί τό μέν διορθοῖ τούς ἁμαρτάνοντας, τό δέ, μόνον ἐξελέγχει.

Ἐμπεδοκλ. Ἐρωτηθείς, διατί σφόδρα ἀνανακτεῖς κακῶς ἀκούων, ἔφη. Ὅτι οὐδέ ἐπαινούμενος αἰσθήσομαι, εἰ μή κακῶς ἀκούων ἀχθήσομαι.