In particular I may mention Sophocles the poet, who was once asked in my presence, How do you feel about love, Sophocles? are you still capable of it? to which he replied, Hush! if you please: to my great delight I have escaped from it, and feel as if I had escaped from a frantic and savage master. I thought then, as I do now, that he spoke wisely. For unquestionably old age brings us profound repose and freedom from this and other passions.

The well-nurtured youth is one who would see most clearly whatever was amiss in ill-made works of man or ill-grown works of nature, and with a just distaste would blame and hate the ugly even from his earliest years and would give delighted praise to beauty, receiving it into his soul and being nourished by it, so that he became a man of gentle heart.

So the well educated man can learn to sing and dance well.

Hereditary honors are a noble and a splendid treasure to descendants.

Desires are only the lack of something: and those who have the greatest desires are in a worse condition than those who have none, or very slight ones.

If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools.

The soul should concentrate itself by itself.