[3,90] {ὅρα δὲ ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἄλλων κτημάτων τὰ μὲν ἀναγκαῖα μόνον καὶ χρήσιμα δοκεῖ πᾶσι, τέρψιν δὲ οὐδεμίαν παρέχεται· τὰ δὲ ἡδέα μόνον, συμφέροντα δὲ οὔ· τοὐναντίον δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ἡδέων ἀσύμφορα εὑρίσκεται.} (91) καὶ τοίνυν ὅσα μὲν ἀναγκαῖα καὶ χρήσιμα τῶν κτημάτων, οὐ πάντως ἡδονήν τινα ἔχει τοῖς κεκτημένοις· ὅσα δὲ τερπνά, οὐκ εὐθὺς διὰ τοῦτο καὶ συμφέροντα· τοὐναντίον γὰρ (92) πολλὰ τῶν ἡδέων ἀξύμφορα ἐξελέγχεται. αὐτίκα τείχη μὲν καὶ ὅπλα καὶ μηχανήματα καὶ στρατόπεδα τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐστὶ κτημάτων τοῖς κρατοῦσιν· ἄνευ γὰρ τούτων οὐχ οἷόν τε σώζεσθαι τὴν ἀρχήν· (93) τέρψιν δὲ οὐχ ὁρῶ ποίαν δίχα γε τῆς ὠφελείας ἔχει. καλὰ δὲ ἄλση καὶ οἰκίαι πολυτελεῖς καὶ ἀνδριάντες καὶ γραφαὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς τε καὶ ἄκρας τέχνης καὶ χρυσοῖ κρατῆρες καὶ ποικίλαι τράπεζαι καὶ πορφύρα καὶ ἐλέφας καὶ ἤλεκτρος καὶ μύρων ὀσμαὶ καὶ θεαμάτων παντοίων καὶ ἀκουσμάτων τέρψεις διά τε φωνῆς καὶ ὀργάνων, {πρὸς δὲ αὖ τούτοις γυναῖκες ὡραῖαι καὶ παιδικὰ ὡραῖα} ξύμπαντα ταῦτα οὐδεμιᾶς ἕνεκα χρείας, ἀλλ´ ἡδονῆς εὑρημένα φαίνεται. (94) μόνῃ δὲ τῇ φιλίᾳ συμβέβηκεν ἁπάντων μὲν εἶναι συμφορώτατον, ἁπάντων δὲ ἥδιστον. εὐθὺς οἶμαι τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὰ μέγιστα, ὅπλα καὶ τείχη καὶ στρατεύματα καὶ πόλεις, ἄνευ τῶν διοικούντων φίλων οὔτε χρήσιμα οὔτε συμφέροντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν ἐπισφαλῆ· οἱ δέ γε φίλοι καὶ δίχα τούτων ὠφέλιμοι.

[3,90] Once more, necessary and useful possessions do not in all cases afford their owner some pleasure, nor does it follow that because a thing is pleasing it is also profitable. On the contrary, many pleasant things prove to be unprofitable. Fortifications, for example, arms, engines, and troops are possessions necessary for a ruler, since without them his authority cannot be maintained, but I do not see what gratification they afford—at least, apart fom their utility ; and on the other hand, beautiful parks, costly residences, statues, paintings in the exquisite early style, golden bowls, inlaid tables, purple robes, ivory, amber, perfumes, everything to delight the eye, delightful music, both vocal and instrumental, and besides these, beautiful maidens and handsome boys —all these evidently subserve no useful purpose whatever, but are obviously the inventions of pleasure. (94) To friendship alone has it been given to be both the most profitable of all and the most pleasurable of all. To illustrate : I presume that our greatest necessities, arms, walts, troops, and cities, without friends to control them, are neither useful nor profitable ; nay, they are exceedingly precarious ; while friends, even without these, are helpful.