by Demosthenes
[34] Accordingly, I shall leave this topic and now endeavor to counsel you on the means of rendering your life still more worthy of esteem. To the words I am about to utter I would not have you give heed as to a matter of trivial importance, nor to leap to the conclusion that I have, after all, addressed you thus, not for your good, but from a desire to display my skill; otherwise you may miss the truth and, by choosing haphazard counsel in place of the best, fall short of the best in judging your own interests.
[35] καὶ γὰρ τοῖς μὲν ἀφανῆ καὶ ταπεινὴν τὴν φύσιν ἔχουσιν οὐδ᾽ ὅταν μὴ καλῶς τι πράξωσιν ἐπιπλήττομεν, τοῖς δ᾽ ὥσπερ σὺ περιβλέπτοις γεγενημένοις καὶ τὸ παραμελῆσαί τινος τῶν καλλίστων αἰσχύνην φέρει. ἔτι δ᾽ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων λόγων ψευσθέντες καθ᾽ ἑνὸς μόνου πράγματος οὐ τὰ κράτιστ᾽ ἔγνωσαν: οἱ δὲ τῆς τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων συμβουλίας διαμαρτόντες ἢ καταφρονήσαντες παρ᾽ ὅλον τὸν βίον τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀγνωσίας ὑπομνήματ᾽ ἔχουσιν.
[35] For we do not reproach men of humble and insignificant natural gifts even when they commit a dishonorable act, but to those who, like yourself, have attained distinction, even a bit of negligence in some matter of high honor brings disgrace. Again, those who go astray in other domains fail merely t make the best decision in some single, isolated matter, but those who miss the right advice on the conduct of life, or scorn it, have reminders of their own folly to live with their whole life long.
[36] τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν δεῖ σε παθεῖν, σκοπεῖσθαι δὲ τί τῶν ἀνθρωπείων μεγίστην δύναμιν ἔχει, καὶ τίνος καλῶς μὲν ἀποβάντος πλεῖστ᾽ ἂν κατορθοῖμεν, διαφθαρέντος δὲ μέγιστ᾽ ἂν βλαπτοίμεθα παρὰ τὸν βίον: οὐ γὰρ ἄδηλον ὅτι τούτου καὶ μάλιστ᾽ ἐπιμέλειαν ποιητέον, ὃ μεγίστην ῥοπὴν ἐφ᾽ ἑκάτερον ἐργάζεσθαι πέφυκεν.
[36] Now you must not fall into any of these errors but rather seek to discover what is of supreme consequence in human affairs, and what it is that turning out well would do us the most good, but turning out badly would hurt us most along life’s pathway. For it requires no proof that upon this factor we must expend the greatest care, which more than anything else possesses the power to tip the scale to one side or the other.
[37] τῶν μὲν τοίνυν ἐν ἀνθρώποις διάνοιαν ἁπάντων εὑρήσομεν ἡγεμονεύουσαν, ταύτην δὲ φιλοσοφίαν μόνην παιδεῦσαί τ᾽ ὀρθῶς καὶ γυμνάσαι δυναμένην. ἧς οἴομαι σε δεῖν μετασχεῖν, καὶ μὴ κατοκνῆσαι μηδὲ φυγεῖν τὰς ἐνούσας ἐν αὐτῇ πραγματείας, ἐνθυμούμενον ὅτι διὰ μὲν ἀργίας καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας καὶ τὰ παντελῶς ἐπιπολῆς δυσχείρωτ᾽ ἐστί, διὰ δὲ καρτερίας καὶ φιλοπονίας οὐδὲν τῶν ὄντων ἀγαθῶν ἀνάλωτον πέφυκεν,
[37] Now of the powers residing in human beings we shall find that intelligence leads all the rest and that philosophy alone is capable of educating this rightly and training it. In this study I think you ought to participate, and not balk at or flee from the labors involved in it, reflecting that through idleness and indolence even quite superficial things become difficult, while through persistence and diligence none of the worthwhile things is unattainable,
[38] καὶ διότι πάντων ἀλογώτατόν ἐστι πρὸς μὲν χρηματισμὸν καὶ ῥώμην καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα φιλοτίμως ἔχειν καὶ πολλὰς ὑπομένειν κακοπαθίας, ἃ πάντα θνήτ᾽ ἐστὶν καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ δουλεύειν εἴωθεν, τὴν δ᾽ ἐπιστατοῦσαν μὲν τῶν ἄλλων, συνδιατελοῦσαν δὲ τοῖς ἔχουσιν, ὅλου δ᾽ ἡγεμονεύουσαν τοῦ βίου μὴ ζητεῖν ὅπως διακείσεται βέλτιον.
[38] and that of all things the most irrational is to be ambitious for wealth, bodily strength, and such things, and for their sakes to submit to many hardships, all of which prizes are perishable and usually slaves to intelligence, but not to aim at the improvement of the mind, which has supervision over all other powers, abides continually with those who possess it, and guides the whole life.
[39] καίτοι καλὸν μὲν καὶ διὰ τύχην ἐν τοῖς σπουδαιοτάτοις θαυμάζεσθαι, πολὺ δὲ κάλλιον διὰ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τὴν αὑτοῦ μηδενὸς τῶν ἐνδόξων ἄμοιρον γενέσθαι: τῆς μὲν γὰρ ἐνίοτε καὶ τοῖς φαύλοις μετασχεῖν συνέβη, τῆς δ᾽ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλοις μετουσία πλὴν τοῖς ἐν ἀνδραγαθίᾳ διαφέρουσιν.
[39] And yet, although it is a fine thing to be admired among high-minded people even on account of fortuitous success, it is much finer through care bestowed upon one’s self to gain a share in all the accomplishments that are esteemed; for often it has fallen to the lot of vulgar men to share in the former but none have a part in the latter except those who excel in real manliness.
[40] ἀλλὰ μὴν περί γε τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀκριβῶς μὲν ἕκαστα διελθεῖν ἡγοῦμαι τὸν μέλλοντα χρόνον ἡμῖν ἐπιτηδειοτέρους καιροὺς παραδώσειν: συντόμως δ᾽ εἰπεῖν οὐδὲ νῦν οὐδὲν κωλύσει περὶ αὐτῆς. ἓν οὖν πρῶτον ἐκεῖνό σε δεῖ καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι πᾶσα μὲν παιδεία δι᾽ ἐπιστήμης καὶ μελέτης τινὸς συνέστηκεν, ἡ δὲ φιλοσοφία καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων: ὅσῳ γὰρ φρονιμωτέρους ἔχει τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας, τοσούτῳ κάλλιον αὐτὴν συγκεῖσθαι προσήκει.
[40] However, touching the subject of philosophy, some future occasion will afford me more suitable opportunities to review carefully the particulars, but the outlines of it nothing will prevent me from running over at once. This one point, therefore, you must grasp clearly at the outset, that all education consists in understanding something and then putting it into practice, and this is even more true of philosophy than of any other studies, for the synthesis of learning and practice is likely to be more perfect in proportion as the instructors are more clear on this point.
[41] καίτοι τί ποτ᾽ ἂν βουληθείημεν, τῆς μὲν διανοίας ἐπὶ τοῦ λέγειν καὶ βουλεύεσθαι τεταγμένης, τῆς δὲ φιλοσοφίας ἑκατέρου τούτων ἐμπειρίαν παραδιδούσης, μὴ ταύτην κατασχεῖν τὴν πραγματείαν, δι᾽ ἧς ἀμφοτέρων τούτων ἐγκρατῶς ἕξομεν; τότε γὰρ εἰκὸς καὶ τὸν βίον ἡμῶν μεγίστην ἐπίδοσιν λαβεῖν, ὅταν τῶν κρατίστων ὀρεγόμενοι τὰ μὲν διδακτὰ τέχνῃ, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ γυμνασίᾳ καὶ συνηθείᾳ κατασχεῖν δυνηθῶμεν.
[41] And yet, since intelligence commands the province of speaking and deliberating, and philosophy confers facility in each of these, what reason can there be why we should refuse to get a firm grasp of this study, through which we shall become masters of both alike? Because life may then too be expected to make a great advance for us when we reach out for the things of supreme importance and find ourselves able to secure by rule and precept such
as can be taught and the rest by practice and habituation.
[42] οὐ γὰρ δήπου τοῦτό γ᾽ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὡς οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸ φρονεῖν εὖ παρὰ τὴν ἐπιστήμην διαφέρομεν ἀλλήλων: ὅλως μὲν γὰρ ἅπασα φύσις βελτίων γίγνεται παιδείαν προσλαβοῦσα τὴν προσήκουσαν, πολὺ δὲ μάλισθ᾽ ὅσαις ἐξ ἀρχῆς εὐφυέστερον τῶν ἄλλων ἔχειν ὑπῆρξεν: ταῖς μὲν γὰρ αὑτῶν μόνον βελτίοσιν γίγνεσθαι, ταῖς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συμβαίνει διενεγκεῖν.
[42] It certainly is not permissible to make the assertion that it is not through acquired knowledge that we surpass one another in sound judgement; for, speaking generally, all natural ability is improved by the addition of the appropriate education, and this is especially true of talents which at the outset are inherently superior to the rest, because the one kind is capable only of improving upon itself while the other may also surpass the rest.
[43] εὖ δ᾽ ἴσθι τὴν μὲν ἐκ τῶν πράξεων ἐμπειρίαν γιγνομένην σφαλερὰν οὖσαν καὶ πρὸς τὸν λοιπὸν βίον ἀχρήστως ἔχουσαν, τὴν δ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν παιδείαν πρὸς ἅπαντα ταῦτ᾽ εὐκαίρως συγκεκραμένην. καίτοι τινὲς ἤδη καὶ δι᾽ εὐτυχίαν πραγμάτων γυμνασθέντες ἐθαυμάσθησαν: σοὶ δὲ προσήκει τούτων μὲν καταφρονεῖν, σαυτοῦ δ᾽ ἐπιμέλειαν ἔχειν: οὐ γὰρ αὐτοσχεδιάζειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπίστασθαί σε δεῖ περὶ τῶν μεγίστων, οὐδ᾽ ἐπὶ τῶν καιρῶν μελετᾶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀγωνίζεσθαι καλῶς ἐπίστασθαι.
[43] Be well assured also that the facility acquired solely from practical experience is treacherous and useless for subsequent needs of life, but the education secured through the pursuit of philosophy is happily blended in all these needs. There is no denying, of course, that in the past some men who got practical training just by good luck in action have won admiration, but for you the proper thing is to disregard these men and to take yourself seriously in hand. For in matters of the utmost importance you should not be extemporizing instead of really knowing what to do or in emergencies be studying your arguments instead of really knowing how to debate an issue on its merits.
[44] νόμιζε δὲ πᾶσαν μὲν τὴν φιλοσοφίαν μεγάλα τοὺς χρωμένους ὠφελεῖν, πολὺ δὲ μάλιστα τὴν περὶ τὰς πράξεις καὶ τοὺς πολιτικοὺς λόγους ἐπιστήμην. τῆς γὰρ γεωμετρίας καὶ τῆς ἄλλης τῆς τοιαύτης παιδείας ἀπείρως μὲν ἔχειν αἰσχρόν, ἄκρον δ᾽ ἀγωνιστὴν γενέσθαι ταπεινότερον τῆς σῆς ἀξίας: ἐν ἐκείνῃ δὲ τὸ μὲν διενεγκεῖν ζηλωτόν, τὸ δ᾽ ἄμοιρον γενέσθαι παντελῶς καταγέλαστον.
[44] Be convinced too that all philosophical learning confers precious benefits upon those who take advantage of it, but especially is this true of the knowledge that deals with practical affairs and political discussions. No doubt it is disgraceful to be quite ignorant of geometry and other such subjects of study, but to become a topmost contender in this field is too low an ambition for merit like yours. In that kind of philosophy, however, not only is it a worthy ambition to excel, but to remain ignorant is altogether ridiculous.
[45] γνοίης δ᾽ ἂν ἐξ ἄλλων τε πολλῶν, καὶ παραθεωρήσας τοὺς πρὸ σαυτοῦ γεγενημένους ἐνδόξους ἄνδρας. τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ Περικλέα τὸν συνέσει πλεῖστον τῶν καθ᾽ αὑτὸν διενεγκεῖν δόξαντα πάντων, ἀκούσει πλησιάσαντ᾽ Ἀναξαγόρᾳ τῷ Κλαζομενίῳ καὶ μαθητὴν ἐκείνου γενόμενον ταύτης τῆς δυνάμεως μετασχόντα: τοῦτο δ᾽ Ἀλκιβιάδην εὑρήσεις φύσει μὲν πρὸς ἀρετὴν πολλῷ χεῖρον διακείμενον, καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑπερηφάνως, τὰ δὲ ταπεινῶς, τὰ δ᾽ ὑπερακρατῶς ζῆν προῃρημένον, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Σωκράτους ὁμιλίας πολλὰ μὲν ἐπανορθωθέντα τοῦ βίου, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τῷ μεγέθει τῶν ἄλλων ἔργων ἐπικρυψάμενον.
[45] You may infer this to be true on many other grounds and especially by scanning the careers of those who have become eminent before your time. You will hear first that Pericles, who is thought to have far surpassed all men of his age in intellectual grasp, addressed himself to Anaxagoras of Clazomenae and only after being his pupil acquired this power of judgement. You will next discover that Alcibiades, though his natural disposition was far inferior in respect to virtue and it was his pleasure to behave himself now arrogantly, now obsequiously, now licentiously, yet, as a fruit of his association with Socrates, he made correction of many errors of his life and over the rest drew a veil of oblivion by the greatness of his later achievements.
[46] εἰ δὲ δεῖ μὴ παλαιὰ λέγοντας διατρίβειν, ἔχοντας ὑπογυωτέροις παραδείγμασιν χρῆσθαι, τοῦτο μὲν Τιμόθεον οὐκ ἐξ ὧν νεώτερος ὢν ἐπετήδευσεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ὧν Ἰσοκράτει συνδιατρίψας ἔπραξεν, μεγίστης δόξης καὶ πλείστων τιμῶν εὑρήσεις ἀξιωθέντα: τοῦτο δ᾽ Ἀρχύταν τὴν Ταραντίνων πόλιν οὕτω καλῶς καὶ φιλανθρώπως διοικήσαντα κύριον αὐτῆς καταστάντα, ὥστ᾽ εἰς ἅπαντας τὴν ἐκείνου μνήμην διενεγκεῖν: ὃς ἐν ἀρχῇ καταφρονούμενος, ἐκ τοῦ Πλάτωνι πλησιάσαι τοσαύτην ἔλαβεν ἐπίδοσιν.
[46] But not to spend our time rehearsing ancient examples while others are available closer to our own times, you will discover that Timotheus was deemed worthy of the highest repute and numerous honors, not because of his activities as a younger man, but because of his performances after he had studied with Isocrates. You will discover also that Archytas of Tarentum became ruler of his city and managed its affairs so admirably and so considerately as to spread the record of that achievement to all mankind; yet at first he was despised and he owed his remarkable progress to studying with Plato.
[47] καὶ τούτων οὐδὲν ἀλόγως ἀποβέβηκεν: πολὺ γὰρ ἄν ἦν ἀτοπώτερον, εἰ τὰ μὲν μικρὰ δι᾽ ἐπιστήμης καὶ μελέτης ἠναγκαζόμεθ᾽ ἐπιτελεῖν, τὰ δὲ μέγιστ᾽ ἄνευ ταύτης τῆς πραγματείας ἠδυνάμεθα πράττειν. περὶ μὲν οὖν τούτων οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅ τι δεῖ πλείω λέγειν: οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὡς παντελῶς ἀπείρως ἔχοντός σου περὶ αὐτῶν ἐμνήσθην, ἀλλ᾽ ἡγούμενος τὰς τοιαύτας παρακλήσεις τοὺς μὲν ἀγνοοῦντας προτρέπειν, τοὺς δ᾽ εἰδότας παροξύνειν.
[47] Of these examples not one worked out contrary to reason; for it would be much stranger if we were obliged to achieve paltry ends through acquiring knowledge and putting it into practice, but were capable of accomplishing the big things without this effort.
Now I do not know what call there is to say more on these topics, for not even at the outset did I introduce them because I assumed you were absolutely ignorant, but because I thought that such exhortations both arouse those who lack knowledge and spur on those who poss
ess it;.
[48] μηδὲν δ᾽ ὑπολάβῃς τοιοῦτον, ὡς ἄρ᾽ ἐγὼ ταῦτ᾽ εἴρηκα διδάξειν αὐτὸς ἐπαγγελλόμενός σέ τι τούτων: οὐ γὰρ ἂν αἰσχυνθείην εἰπὼν ὅτι πολλὰ μαθεῖν αὐτὸς ἔτι δέομαι, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀγωνιστὴς προῄρημαι τῶν πολιτικῶν ἢ διδάσκαλος εἶναι τῶν ἄλλων. οὐχ ὡς ἀναινόμενος δὲ ταῦτα διορθοῦμαι τὴν τῶν σοφιστεύειν ἑλομένων δόξαν, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι τἀληθὲς τοῦτον ἔχον τυγχάνει τὸν τρόπον:
[48] And do not make any such assumption as this, that in speaking these words I am presumably offering to teach you any of these branches myself, for I should feel no shame in saying that there is still much I need myself to learn, and that I have chosen rather to be a contender in political life than a teacher of the other arts. Not that in disavowing these subjects of instruction I am impugning the reputation of those who have chosen the profession of sophist, but my reason is that the truth of the matter happens to be as follows: