§31δίκαιον μὲν οὖν καὶ πατέρα καὶ μητέρα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους οἰκείους τοὺς σοὺς ζηλοῦσθαι, τοσοῦτον ὑπερέχοντος σοῦ τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν ἀρετῇ, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον οὓς σὺ ὁ τῶν τηλικούτων ἀγαθῶν ἠξιωμένος σαυτοῦ προκρίνας ἀξίους εἶναι φίλους ἐξ ἁπάντων αἱρεῖ.
Therefore, it is just that both your father and mother and your other relatives should be envied, since you so greatly surpass your peers in virtue; but much more so those whom you, having been deemed worthy of such great blessings, having judged them worthy by your own decision, choose as friends out of all men.
τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἡ τύχη σοι μετόχους κατέστησεν, τοὺς δʼ ἡ σφετέρα καλοκἀγαθία προσσυνέστησεν·
For fortune established the former as your partners, but their own nobility of character brought the latter together with you.
§32οὓς οὐκ οἶδα πότερον ἐραστὰς ἢ μόνους ὀρθῶς γιγνώσκοντας προσαγορεῦσαι χρή.
Whom I know not whether I ought to call lovers or the only ones who judge rightly.
δοκεῖ γάρ μοι καὶ κατʼ ἀρχὰς ἡ τύχη, τῶν μὲν φαύλων καταφρονοῦσα, τὰς δὲ τῶν σπουδαίων ἀνδρῶν διανοίας ἐρεθίσαι βουληθεῖσα, τὴν σὴν φύσιν οὐ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἐξαπατηθῆναι καλὴν ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀρετὴν εὐδαιμονῆσαι χρήσιμον.
For it seems to me that from the very beginning fortune, despising the base and wishing to stimulate the minds of serious men, made your nature not beautiful so as to be deceived for the sake of pleasure, but useful so as to be happy for the sake of virtue.
§33πολλὰ δʼ ἔχων ἔτι περὶ σοῦ διελθεῖν, αὐτοῦ καταλύσειν μοι δοκῶ τὸν ἔπαινον, δεδιὼς μὴ καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως ὑπὲρ σοῦ διαλέγεσθαι δόξω·
And though I have many things still to go through concerning you, I think I shall break off my praise at this point, fearing lest I should seem to speak concerning you in excess of human nature.
τοσοῦτον γὰρ ὡς ἔοικεν ἡ τῶν λόγων δύναμις ἔλαττον ἔχει τῆς ὄψεως, ὥστε τοῖς μὲν ὁρατοῖς οὐδεὶς ἀπιστεῖν ἀξιοῖ, τοὺς δὲ τούτων ἐπαίνους οὐδʼ ἂν ἐλλείπωσιν ἀληθεῖς εἶναι νομίζουσιν.
For the power of speech seems to fall so much short of sight, that while no one deigns to disbelieve what is seen, they do not believe praises of these things to be true, even if they fall short.
§34παυσάμενος οὖν περὶ τούτων, ἤδη πειράσομαί σοι συμβουλεύειν ἐξ ὧν ἐντιμότερον ἔτι τὸν σαυτοῦ βίον καταστήσεις.
Ceasing, then, concerning these things, I shall now try to advise you on those things by which you will render your own life still more honorable.
βουλοίμην δʼ ἄν σε μὴ πάρεργον ποιήσασθαι τὸ προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν τοῖς μέλλουσιν ῥηθήσεσθαι, μηδʼ ὑπολαμβάνειν τοῦθʼ, ὡς ἄρʼ ἐγὼ τούτοις κέχρημαι τοῖς λόγοις οὐ τῆς σῆς ὠφελίας ἕνεκα, ἀλλʼ ἐπιδείξεως ἐπιθυμῶν, ἵνα μήτε διαμάρτῃς τῆς ἀληθείας, μήτʼ ἀντὶ τῶν βελτίστων τὰ τυχόνθʼ ἑλόμενος χεῖρον περὶ σαυτοῦ βουλεύσῃ.
And I would wish you not to make a secondary matter of paying attention to what is about to be said, nor to suppose this, that I have used these words not for your benefit but desiring display, so that you may neither miss the truth, nor, by choosing ordinary things instead of the best, take worse counsel concerning yourself.
§35καὶ γὰρ τοῖς μὲν ἀφανῆ καὶ ταπεινὴν τὴν φύσιν ἔχουσιν οὐδʼ ὅταν μὴ καλῶς τι πράξωσιν ἐπιπλήττομεν, τοῖς δʼ ὥσπερ σὺ περιβλέπτοις γεγενημένοις καὶ τὸ παραμελῆσαί τινος τῶν καλλίστων αἰσχύνην φέρει.
For we do not even rebuke those who have an obscure and humble nature when they do not do something well; but for those who, like you, have become conspicuous, even to neglect any of the most beautiful things brings shame.
ἔτι δʼ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων λόγων ψευσθέντες καθʼ ἑνὸς μόνου πράγματος οὐ τὰ κράτιστʼ ἔγνωσαν· οἱ δὲ τῆς τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων συμβουλίας διαμαρτόντες ἢ καταφρονήσαντες παρʼ ὅλον τὸν βίον τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀγνωσίας ὑπομνήματʼ ἔχουσιν.
Furthermore, those who are mistaken in other discussions have failed to know what is best concerning only a single matter; but those who miss or despise the advice concerning daily pursuits have reminders of their own ignorance throughout their whole life.
§36τούτων μὲν οὐδὲν δεῖ σε παθεῖν, σκοπεῖσθαι δὲ τί τῶν ἀνθρωπείων μεγίστην δύναμιν ἔχει, καὶ τίνος καλῶς μὲν ἀποβάντος πλεῖστʼ ἂν κατορθοῖμεν, διαφθαρέντος δὲ μέγιστʼ ἂν βλαπτοίμεθα παρὰ τὸν βίον·
You must suffer none of these things, but consider what has the greatest power among human affairs, and what, if it turns out well, would make us succeed most, but if corrupted, would harm us most throughout life.
οὐ γὰρ ἄδηλον ὅτι τούτου καὶ μάλιστʼ ἐπιμέλειαν ποιητέον, ὃ μεγίστην ῥοπὴν ἐφʼ ἑκάτερον ἐργάζεσθαι πέφυκεν.
For it is not unclear that we must pay the greatest attention to this which is by nature such as to work the greatest influence in either direction.
§37τῶν μὲν τοίνυν ἐν ἀνθρώποις διάνοιαν ἁπάντων εὑρήσομεν ἡγεμονεύουσαν, ταύτην δὲ φιλοσοφίαν μόνην παιδεῦσαί τʼ ὀρθῶς καὶ γυμνάσαι δυναμένην.
Now, of all things among men, we shall find that intellect is the ruler, and that philosophy alone is able to educate and train this rightly.
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 δυσχείρωτʼ ἐστί, διὰ δὲ καρτερίας καὶ φιλοπονίας οὐδὲν τῶν ὄντων ἀγαθῶν ἀνάλωτον πέφυκεν, §38καὶ διότι πάντων ἀλογώτατόν ἐστι πρὸς μὲν χρηματισμὸν καὶ ῥώμην καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα φιλοτίμως ἔχειν καὶ πολλὰς ὑπομένειν κακοπαθίας, ἃ πάντα θνήτʼ ἐστὶν καὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ δουλεύειν εἴωθεν, τὴν δʼ ἐπιστατοῦσαν μὲν τῶν ἄλλων, συνδιατελοῦσαν δὲ τοῖς ἔχουσιν, ὅλου δʼ ἡγεμονεύουσαν τοῦ βίου μὴ ζητεῖν ὅπως διακείσεται βέλτιον.
In which I think you ought to share, and not to hesitate nor to flee the troubles inherent in it, bearing in mind that through idleness and neglect even things completely easy to handle become difficult, but through endurance and industriousness none of the existing good things is by nature unattainable, and because it is the most irrational of all things to be ambitious for moneymaking and strength and such things and to endure many hardships—all of which are mortal and are accustomed to slave for the intellect—but not to seek how that which presides over the others, coexists with those who possess it, and guides the whole life, will be better disposed.
§39καίτοι 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 δʼ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλοις μετουσία πλὴν τοῖς ἐν ἀνδραγαθίᾳ διαφέρουσιν.
And yet, it is beautiful to be admired in the most serious matters even through fortune, but it is much more beautiful through one’s own care to become lacking in none of the honorable things; for it has happened that even the base sometimes share in the former, but there is no share in the latter for others except those who excel in manly virtue.
§40ἀλλὰ μὴν περί γε τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀκριβῶς μὲν ἕκαστα διελθεῖν ἡγοῦμαι τὸν μέλλοντα χρόνον ἡμῖν ἐπιτηδειοτέρους καιροὺς παραδώσειν· συντόμως δʼ εἰπεῖν οὐδὲ νῦν οὐδὲν κωλύσει περὶ αὐτῆς.
But indeed, concerning philosophy, to go through each detail accurately, I think the future time will afford us more suitable opportunities; but to speak briefly, nothing will prevent even now concerning it.
ἓν οὖν πρῶτον ἐκεῖνό σε δεῖ καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι πᾶσα μὲν παιδεία διʼ ἐπιστήμης καὶ μελέτης τινὸς συνέστηκεν, ἡ δὲ φιλοσοφία καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων· ὅσῳ γὰρ φρονιμωτέρους ἔχει τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας, τοσούτῳ κάλλιον αὐτὴν συγκεῖσθαι προσήκει.
This one thing first, then, you must learn accurately, that all education consists of some knowledge and training, but philosophy even more than the others; for by how much wiser directors it has, by so much more it is fitting that it itself be beautifully put together.