Xenophon

It is only for those to employ force who possess strength without judgment; but the well advised will have recourse to other means.

It is common opinion among us in regard to beauty and wisdom that there is an honourable and a shameful way of bestowing them. For to offer one’s beauty for money to all comers is called prostitution; but we think it virtuous to become friendly with a lover who is known to be a man of honour. So is it with wisdom. Those who offer it to all comers for money are known as sophists, prostitutors of wisdom.

Xenophon (Ancient Greek: Ξενοφῶν, Xenophôn; c. 431 BC – c. 354 BC) was an Athenian author, historian and mercenary, who led the epic retreat of the Ten Thousand from Mesopotamia to the Black Sea coast. He knew Socrates, Cyrus the Younger and Agesilaus II of Sparta, and wrote about all of them.

Quotes

Greek text cited from E. C. Marchant, Xenophontis Opera Omnia, vols. I–V (Oxford, 1921), unless otherwise noted.

Hellenica

Greek text cited from C. Hude, Xenophon. Historia Graeca (Stuttgart, 1934).

• καὶ γὰρ τὸ μὲν ἐν ταῖς εὐπραξίαις πιστοὺς φαίνεσθαι οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· ὅταν δέ τινες ἐν συμφοραῖς γενομένων φίλων βέβαιοι φανῶσι, τοῦτ᾿ εἰς ἅπαντα χρόνον μνημονεύεται.
  • For showing loyalty in the midst of prosperity calls for no particular admiration, but always, if men show themselves steadfast when friends have fallen upon misfortunes, this is remembered for all times. (tr. C. L. Brownson, 1918)
  • IV.8.4

• Ἐκ μέντοι γε τῶν τοιούτων παθῶν [ὡς] ἐγή φημι ἀνθρώπους παιδεύεσθαι μάλιστα μὲν [οὖν] ⟨ὡς⟩ οὐδ᾿ οἰκέτας χρῇ ὀργῇ κολάζειν· πολλάκις γὰρ καὶ δεσπόται ὀργιζόμενοι μείζω κακὰ ἔπαθον ἢ ἐποίησαν· ἀτὰρ ἀντιπάλοις τὸ μετ᾿ ὀργῆς ἀλλὰ μὴ γνώμῃ προσφέρεσθαι ὅλον ἁμάρτημα. ἡ μὲν γὰρ ὀργὴ ἀπρονόητον, ἡ δὲ γνώμη σκοπεῖ οὐδὲν ἧττον μή τι πάθῃ ἢ ὅπως βλάψῃ τι τοὺς πολεμίους.
  • In my opinion, however, disasters such as these teach men this lesson with regard to anger: one ought not to punish even a slave in anger; for masters who have lost their tempers often do more harm to themselves than they inflict; but in dealing with enemies it is utterly and entirely wrong to launch an attach under the influence of anger and without deliberation. Anger does not look ahead, whereas deliberation is just as concerned with avoiding harm oneself as with inflicting it on the enemy. (tr. R. Warner, 1978)
  • V.3.7

• τό [τε] γε μὴν ἐντεῦθεν γενόμενον ἔξεστι μὲν τὸ θεῖον αἰτιᾶσθαι, ἔξεστι δὲ λέγειν ὡς τοῖς ἀπονενοημένοις οὐδεὶς ἂν ὑποσταίη.
  • As to what happened next, it is possible to maintain that the hand of heaven was involved, and also possible to say that when men are desperate no one can stand up to them. (tr. R. Warner, 1978)
  • VII.5.12

Socratic works

Memorabilia

Main article: Memorabilia
Greek text cited from C. Hude, Xenophon. Memorabilia (Stuttgart, 1934).

• ἀλλὰ τῶν ἰσχὺν ἄνευ γνώμης ἐχόντων τὰ τοιαῦτα πράττειν ἐστίν. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ συμμάχων ὁ μὲν βιάζεσθαι τολμῶν δέοιτ᾿ ἂν οὐκ ὀλίγων, ὁ δὲ πείθειν δυνάμενος οὐδενός· καὶ γὰρ μόνος ἡγοῖτ᾿ ἂν δύνασθαι πείθειν. καὶ φονεύειν δὲ τοῖς τοιαύτοις ἥκιστα συμβαίνει· τίς γὰρ ἀποκτεῖναί τινα βούλοιτ᾿ ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ ζῶντι πειθομένῳ χρῆσθαι;
  • It is only for those to employ force who possess strength without judgment; but the well advised will have recourse to other means. Besides, he who pretends to carry his point by force hath need of many associates; but the man who can persuade knows that he is himself sufficient for the purpose; neither can such a one be supposed forward to shed blood; for, who is there would choose to destroy a fellow citizen rather than make a friend of him by mildness and persuasion? (tr. S. Fielding, 1832)
  • I.2.10–11

• φαίην δ᾿ ἂν ἔγωγε μηδενὶ μηδεμίαν εἶναι παίδευσιν παρὰ τοῦ μὴ ἀρέσκοντος.
  • I will venture to maintain that where the teacher is not pleasing to the pupil there is no education. (tr. H. G. Dakyns, 1897)
  • I.2.39

• παρ᾿ ἡμῖν νομίζεται τὴν ὥραν καὶ τὴν σοφίαν ὁμοίως μὲν καλόν, ὁμοίως δὲ αἰσχρὸν διατίθεσθαι εἶναι. τήν τε γὰρ ὥραν ἐὰν μέν τις ἀργυρίου πωλῇ τῷ βουλομένῳ, πόρνον αὐτὸν ἀποκαλοῦσιν, ἐὰν δέ τις, ὃν ἂν γνῷ καλὸν τε κἀγαθὸν ἐραστὴν ὄντα, τοῦτον φίλον ἑαυτῷ ποιεῖται, σώφρονα νομίζομεν· καὶ τὴν σοφίαν ὡσαύτως τοὺς μὲν ἀργυρίου τῷ βουλομένῳ πωλοῦντας σοφιστὰς [ὥσπερ πόρνους] ἀποκαλοῦσιν.
  • It is common opinion among us in regard to beauty and wisdom that there is an honourable and a shameful way of bestowing them. For to offer one’s beauty for money to all comers is called prostitution; but we think it virtuous to become friendly with a lover who is known to be a man of honour. So is it with wisdom. Those who offer it to all comers for money are known as sophists, prostitutors of wisdom. (tr. E. Marchant, 1923)
  • I.6.13

Symposium

• ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν σιωπῇ ἐδείπνουν, ὥσπερ τοῦτο ἐπιτεταγμένον αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ κρείττονός τινος. Φίλιππος δ᾿ ὁ γελωτοποιὸς κρούσας τὴν θύραν εἶπε τῷ ὑπακούσαντι εἰσαγγεῖλαι ὅστις τε εἴη καὶ δι᾿ ὅ τι κατάγεσθαι βούλοιτο, συνεσκευασμένος τε παρεῖναι ἔφη πάντα τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ὥστε δειπνεῖν τἀλλότρια, καὶ τὸν παῖδα δὲ ἔφη πάνυ πιέζεσθαι διά τε το φέρειν μηδὲν καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀνάριστον εἶναι. ὁ οὖν Καλλίας ἀκούσας πάντα ταῦτα εἶπεν· Ἀλλὰ μέντοι, ὦ ἄνδρες, αἰσχρὸν στέγης τε φθονῆσαι· εἰσίτω οὖν. καὶ ἅμα ἀπέβλεψεν εἰς τὸν Αὐτόλυκον, δῆλον ὅτι ἐπισκοπῶν τί ἐκείνῳ δόξειε τὸ σκῶμμα εἶναι. ὁ δὲ στὰς ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνδρῶνι ἔνθα τὸ δεῖπνον ἦν εἶπεν· Ὅτι μὲν γελωτοποιός εἰμι ἴστε πάντες· ἥκω δὲ προθύμως νομίσας γελοιότερον εἶναι τὸ ἄκλητον ἢ τὸ κεκλημένον ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον. Κατακλίνου τοίνυν, ἔφη ὁ Καλλίας. καὶ γὰρ παρόντες σπουδῆς μέν, ὡς ὁρᾷς, μεστοί, γέλωτος δὲ ἴσως ἐνδεέστεροι.
  • The company, then, were feasting in silence, as though some one in authority had commanded them to do so, when Philip the buffoon knocked at the door and told the porter to announce who he was and that he desired to be admitted; he added that with regard to food he had come all prepared, in all varieties—to dine on some other person's,—and that his servant was in great distress with the load he carried of—nothing, and with having an empty stomach. Hearing this, Callias said, “Well, gentlemen, we cannot decently begrudge him at the least the shelter of our roof; so let him come in.” With the words he cast a glance at Autolycus, obviously trying to make out what he had thought of the pleasantry. But Philip, standing at the threshold of the men's hall where the banquet was served, announced: “You all know that I am a jester; and so I have come here with a will, thinking it more of a joke to come to your dinner uninvited than to come by invitation.” “Well, then,” said Callias, “take a place; for the guests, though well fed, as you observe, on seriousness, are perhaps rather ill supplied with laughter.”
  • 1.11–13

Anabasis (c. 370 BC)

Greek text cited from C. Hude, J. Peters, Xenophon. Anabasis (Leipzig, 1972).
Translations cited from J. S. Watson, The Anabasis, or Expedition of Cyrus (London, 1854), unless otherwise noted.

• Κλέαρχος τοσοῦτον εἶπεν ὅτι οὐ τῶν νικώντων εἴη τὰ ὅπλα παραδιδόναι.
  • Clearchus spoke, and his words were few; "Conquerors do not, as a rule, give up their arms." (tr. H. G. Dakyns, 1890)
  • II.1.9

• ἦλθεν εἰς ταύτας τὰς σὺν Κύρῳ πράξεις· καὶ ᾤετο κτήσεσθαι ἐκ τούτων ὄνομα μέγα καὶ δύναμιν μεγάλην καὶ χρήματα πολλά· τούτων δ᾿ ἐπιθυμῶν σφόδρα ἔνδηλον αὖ καὶ τοῦτο εἶχεν ὅτι τούτων οὐδὲν ἂν ἐθέλοι κτᾶσθαι μετὰ ἀδικίας, ἀλλὰ σὺν τῷ δικαίῳ καὶ καλῷ ᾤετο δεῖν τούτων τυγχάνειν, ἄνευ δὲ τούτων μή.
  • In this mood [Proxenus] threw himself into the projects of Cyrus, and in return expected to derive from this essay the reward of a great name, large power, and wide wealth. But for all that he pitched his hopes so high, it was none the less evident that he would refuse to gain any of the ends he set before him wrongfully. Righteously and honourably he would obtain them, if he might, or else forego them. (tr. H. G. Dakyns, 1890)
  • II.6.17–18

• ἢν δέ τις αὐτῶν τρέψῃ τὰς γνώμας ὡς μὴ τοῦτο μόνον ἐννοῶνται τί πείσονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τί ποιήσουσι, πολὺ εὐθυμότεροι ἔσονται.
  • The thing is to get them to turn their thoughts to what they mean to do, instead of to what they are likely to suffer. Do that, and their spirits will soon revive wonderfully. (tr. H. G. Dakyns, 1890)
  • III.1.41

• ὁπόσοι μὲν μαστεύουσι ζῆν ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, οὗτοι μὲν κακῶς τε καὶ αἰσχρῶς ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ ἀποθνῄσκουσιν, ὁπόσοι δὲ τὸν μὲν θάνατον ἐγνώκασι πᾶσι κοινὸν εἶναι καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ἀνθρώποις, περὶ δὲ τοῦ καλῶς ἀποθνῄσκειν ἀγωνίζονται, τούτους ὁρῶ μᾶλλόν πως εἰς τὸ γῆρας ἀφικνουμένους καὶ ἕως ἂν ζῶσιν εὐδαιμονέστερον διάγοντας.
  • Those men who in war seek to preserve their lives at any rate commonly die with shame and ignominy; while those who look upon death as common to all and unavoidable, and are only solicitous to die with honour, oftener arrive at old age, and while they live, live happier. (tr. E. Spelman, 1776)
  • III.1.43

• λαβόντες δὲ τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἀναρχίᾳ ἐνόμιζον ἡμᾶς ἀπολέσθαι. δεῖ οὖν πολὺ μὲν τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐπιμελεστέρους γενέσθαι τοὺς νῦν τῶν πρόσθεν, πολὺ δὲ τοὺς ἀρχομένους εὐτακτοτέρους καὶ πειθομένους μᾶλλον τοῖς ἄρχουσι νῦν ἢ πρόσθεν. [. . .] τῇδε γὰρ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ μυρίους ὄψονται ἀνθ᾿ ἑνὸς Κλεάρχους.
  • On making prisoners of our generals, they expected that we should perish from want of direction and order. It is incumbent, therefore, on our present commanders to be far more vigilant than our former ones, and on those under command to be far more orderly, and more obedient to their officers, at present than they were before [. . .] On the very day that such resolution is passed, they will see before them ten thousand Clearchuses instead of one.
  • III.2.29–31
    • Paraphrased by E. Hamilton, 1930:
    • Every one of you is the leader.

• εἰ δέ τι ἄλλο βέλτιον ἢ ταύτῃ, τολμάτω καὶ ὁ ἰδιώτης διδάσκειν· πάντες γὰρ κοινῆς σωτηρίας δεόμεθα.
  • But if any other course, in any one's opinion, be better than this, let him, even though he be a private soldier, boldly give us his sentiments; for the safety, which we all seek, is a general concern.
  • III.2.32

• θάλαττα! θάλαττα!
  • The sea! The sea!
  • IV.7.24

• ἀλλὰ μὴν καλόν γε καὶ δίκαιον καὶ ὅσιον καὶ ἥδιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν μᾶλλον ἢ τῶν κακῶν μεμνῆσθαι.
  • Yet is it more honourable, and just, and upright, and pleasing, to treasure in the memory good acts than bad.
  • V.8.26

Cyropaedia (c. 360 BC)

Greek text cited from W. Gemoll, J. Peters, Xenophon. Institutio Cyri (Berlin-New York, 2009).
Translations cited from H. G. Dakyns, The Education of Cyrus (London, 1915), unless otherwise noted.

• Καὶ ἐπὶ μέν γε τὸ ἀνάγκῃ ἔπεσθαι αὕτη [. . .] ἡ ὁδός ἐστιν· ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ κρεῖττον τούτου πολύ, τὸ ἑκόντας πείθεσθαι, ἄλλη ἐστὶ συντομωτέρα. ὃν γὰρ ἂν ἡγήσωνται περὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος ἑαυτοῖς φρονιμώτερον ἑαυτῶν εἶναι, τούτῳ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὑπερηδέως πείθονται. γνοίης δ᾿ ἂν ὅτι τοῦθ᾿ οὕτως ἔχει ἐν ἄλλοις τε πολλοῖς καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κάμνουσιν, ὡς προθύμως τοὺς ἐπιτάξοντας ὅ,τι χρὴ ποιεῖν καλοῦσι· καὶ ἐν θαλάττῃ δὲ ὡς προθύμως τοῖς κυβερνήταις οἱ συμπλέοντες πείθονται.
  • That [. . .] is the road to the obedience of compulsion. But there is a shorter way to a nobler goal, the obedience of the will. When the interests of mankind are at stake, they will obey with joy the man whom they believe to be wiser than themselves. You may prove this on all sides: you may see how the sick man will beg the doctor to tell him what he ought to do, how a whole ship’s company will listen to the pilot.
  • I.6.21

• καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πράξεων δέ, ἢν μὲν ἐν θέρει ὦσι, τὸν ἄρχοντα δεῖ τοῦ ἡλίου πλεονεκτοῦντα φανερὸν εἶναι· ἢν δὲ ἐν χειμῶνι, τοῦ ψύχους· ἢν δὲ δέῃ μοχθεῖν, τῶν πόνων· πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα εἰς τὸ φιλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχομένων συλλαμβάνει.
  • If the campaign is in summer the general must show himself greedy for his share of the sun and the heat, and in winter for the cold and the frost, and in all labours for toil and fatigue. This will help to make him beloved of his followers.
  • I.6.25

• ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ αἱ ἄλλαι τέχναι διαφερόντως ἐν ταῖς μεγάλαις πόλεσιν ἐξειργασμέναι εἰσί, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τὰ παρὰ βασιλεῖ σῖτα πολὺ διαφερόντως ἐκπεπόνηται. ἐν μὲν γὰρ ταῖς μικραῖς πόλεσιν οἱ αὐτοὶ ποιοῦσι κλίνην, θύραν, ἄροτρον, τράπεζαν, πολλάκις δ᾿ ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος καὶ οἰκοδομεῖ, καὶ ἀγαπᾷ ἢν καὶ οὕτως ἱκανοὺς αὐτὸν τρέφειν ἐργοδότας λαμβάνῃ· ἀδύνατον οὖν πολλὰ τεχνώμενον ἄνθρωπον πάντα καλῶς ποιεῖν. ἐν δὲ ταῖς μεγάλαις πόλεσι διὰ τὸ πολλοὺς ἑκάστου δεῖσθαι ἀρκεῖ καὶ μία ἑκάστῳ τέχνη εἰς τὸ τρέφεσθαι· πολλάκις δὲ οὐδ᾿ ὅλη μία· ἀλλ᾿ ὑποδήματα ποιεῖ ὁ μὲν ἀνδρεῖα, ὁ δὲ γυναικεῖα· ἔστι δὲ ἔνθα καὶ ὑποδήματα ὁ μὲν νευρορραφῶν μόνον τρέφεται, ὁ δὲ σχίζων, ὁ δὲ χιτῶνας μόνον συντέμνων, ὁ δέ γε τούτων οὐδὲν ποιῶν ἀλλὰ συντιθεὶς ταῦτα. ἀνάγκη οὖν τὸν ἐν βραχυτάτῳ διατρίβοντα ἔργῳ τοῦτον καὶ ἄριστα δύνασθαι τοῦτο ποιεῖν.
  • Just as the various trades are most highly developed in large cities, in the same way food at the palace is prepared in a far superior manner. In small towns the same man makes couches, doors, ploughs and tables, and often he even builds houses, and still he is thankful if only he can find enough work to support himself. And it is impossible for a man of many trades to do all of them well. In large cities, however, because many make demands on each trade, one alone is enough to support a man, and often less than one: for instance one man makes shoes for men, another for women, there are places even where one man earns a living just by mending shoes, another by cutting them out, another just by sewing the uppers together, while there is another who performs none of these operations but assembles the parts. Of necessity, he who pursues a very specialised task will do it best. (tr. M. I. Finley, 1973)
  • VIII.2.5

Minor works

Hiero

• τοῦ μὲν ἡδίστου ἀκροάματος, ἐπαίνου, οὔποτε σπανίζετε.
  • You are incessantly entertained with the most delightful of all music, that of your own praises. (tr. R. Graves, 1832)
  • 1.14

The Cavalry Commander

• Ἥκιστα δ᾿ ἂν καταφρονεῖεν ἄρχοντος, ὡς μὲν συνελόντι εἰπεῖν, εἰ ὁπόσα ἐκείνοις παραινοίη, αὐτὸς ταῦτα βέλτιον ἐκείνων φαίνοιτο ποιῶν.
  • Indeed, to put the matter in a nutshell, there is small risk a general will be regarded with contempt by those he leads, if, whatever he may have to preach, he shows himself best able to perform. (tr. H. G. Dakyns, 1890)
  • 6.4

Misattributed

• No human being will ever know the truth, for even if they happened to say it by chance, they would not know they had done so.
  • Paraphrase of Xenophanes, B 34 DK:
    • καὶ τὸ μὲν οὖν σαφὲς οὔτις ἀνὴρ γένετ᾿ οὐδέ τις ἔσται
      εἰδὼς ἀμφὶ θεῶν τε καὶ ἅσσα λέγω περὶ πάντων·
      εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα τύχοι τετελεσμένον εἰπών,
      αὐτὸς ὅμως οὐκ οἶδε· δόκος δ᾿ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τέτυκται.
    • And thus there has never been any man, nor will there ever be one,
      Who knows what is clear about the gods and whatever I say about all things.
      For even if he happened most to say something perfect,
      He himself nonetheless does not know: opinion is set upon all things. (tr. A. Laks, G. W. Most, 2016)

External links

• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Xenophon
• Xenophon's Works at The University of Adelaide

Project Gutenberg e-texts:

• Works by Xenophon at Project Gutenberg
  • Agesilaus
  • Anabasis
  • The Apology
  • The Cavalry General
  • Cyropaedia
  • The Economist
  • Hellenica
  • Hiero
  • The Memorabilia
  • On Horsemanship
  • On Revenues
  • The Polity of the Athenians and the Lacedaemonians
  • The Sportsman
  • The Symposium