[3,15] ἐγὼ δὲ χρήματα μὲν λαβεῖν παρ´ οὐδενὸς πώποτε ἠξίωσα, πολλῶν δοῦναι βουλομένων, τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ δὲ ὀλίγων ὑπαρχόντων οὐ μόνον μεταδιδοὺς ἑτέροις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ῥίπτων φανήσομαι πολλάκις. (16) ἡδονὴν δὲ ποίαν ἐθηρώμην, ὁπότε καὶ τῶν κολάκων οἱ φανερῶς πεποιημένοι τέχνην ταύτην ὁμολογοῦσιν ἁπάντων ἀηδέστερον τὸ κολακεύειν; πῶς γὰρ ἡδύ, ἵν´ ἄλλον ἀδίκως ἐπαινῇ τις, αὐτὸν δικαίως ψέγεσθαι; (17) καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ ἔνδοξον οὐδὲ καλὸν εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ κολακεύειν, ἵνα τιμῆς ἕνεκεν ἢ δι´ ἀρετήν τις τοῦτο ἐπιτηδεύῃ. πασῶν γάρ, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, τῶν κακιῶν αἰσχίστην τις ἂν εὕροι τὴν κολακείαν. (18) πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τὸ κάλλιστον καὶ δικαιότατον διαφθείρει, τὸν ἔπαινον, ὥστε μηκέτι δοκεῖν πιστὸν μηδὲ ἀληθῶς γιγνόμενον, καὶ τό γε πάντων δεινότατον, τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔπαθλα τῇ κακίᾳ δίδωσιν. ὥστε πολὺ χεῖρον δρῶσι τῶν διαφθειρόντων τὸ νόμισμα· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὕποπτον ποιοῦσι τὸ νόμισμα, οἱ δὲ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἄπιστον. (19) ἔπειτα δὲ οἶμαι ἀεί ποτε μὲν ὁ πονηρὸς ἀνόητος λέγεται καὶ ἔστιν ὄντως, τῷ δὲ ἄφρονι πάντας ὑπερβέβληκεν ὁ κόλαξ. μόνος γὰρ τῶν ἀφανιζόντων τὴν ἀλήθειαν πρὸς ἐκείνους θαρρεῖ τὰ ψευδῆ λέγειν τοὺς μάλιστα εἰδότας ὅτι ψεύδεται. τίς γὰρ ἄπειρός ἐστι τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πραγμάτων; ἢ τίς ἠλίθιος οὕτως ὅστις οὐκ οἶδεν πότερον πόνοις ἢ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ χαίρει καὶ πότερον ἥδεται πλέον ἔχων ἢ τὰ δίκαια πράττων καὶ πότερον ἡδονῶν ἥττων ἐστὶν ἢ τῶν καλῶν πράξεων ἐραστής;

[3,15] But I could never bring myself to accept money from anyone, although many are willing to give it. Nay, little as I had, you will find that I not only shared it with others, but actually squandered it many a time. And what sort of pleasure was I seeking, when even those flatterers who openly follow the business acknowledge that to play the flatterer is of all things most distasteful ? For what pleasure is there in praising someone else undeservedly merely to be deservedly blamed one's self ? (17) Furthermore, flattery seems neither reputable nor honourable even when practised to gain distinction, or from some other worthy motive. Nay, of all vices, I may say, flattery will be found to be the meanest. In the first place, it debases a thing most beautiful and just, even praise, so that it no longer appears honest or sincere, and—what is most outrageous—it gives to vice the prizes of virtue. Flatterers, therefore, do much more harm than those who debase the coinage : for whereas the latter cause us to suspect the coinage, the former destroy our belief in virtue. (19) Then again, as I see the matter, we always call the bad man a fool, and so he really is ; but for downright folly the flatterer outdoes all, since he is the only perverter of the truth who has the hardihood to tell his lies to the very persons who know best that he is lying. For who does not know his own business ? or who is so stupid as not to know whether work or idleness brings him joy, whether he finds pleasure in over-reaching another or in acting justly, and whether he is the slave of pleasure or a lover of noble deeds ?