[4,45] ὅτε γοῦν Ξέρξης καὶ Δαρεῖος ἄνωθεν ἐκ Σούσων ἤλαυνον πολὺν ὄχλον Περσῶν τε καὶ Μήδων καὶ Σακῶν καὶ Ἀράβων καὶ Αἰγυπτίων δεῦρο εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἀπολούμενον, πότερον βασιλικὸν ἢ μαγειρικὸν ἔπραττον ἔργον λείαν ἐλαύνοντες (46) κατακοπησομένην; καὶ ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος, Σοί, ἔφη, ὡς ἔοικεν, οὐ δοκεῖ βασιλεὺς εἶναι οὐδὲ ὁ μέγας βασιλεύς; καὶ ὁ Διογένης μειδιάσας, Οὐ μᾶλλον, εἶπεν, ὦ Ἀλέξανδρε, ἢ ὁ σμικρὸς δάκτυλος. Οὐδ´ ἄρα (47) ἐγώ, ἔφη, καταλύσας ἐκεῖνον μέγας βασιλεὺς ἔσομαι; Οὐ τούτου γε ἕνεκα, εἶπεν ὁ Διογένης. οὐδὲ γὰρ τῶν παίδων ὁ νικήσας, ὅταν παίζωσιν, ὡς αὐτοί φασι, βασιλέας, τῷ ὄντι βασιλεύς ἐστιν. οἱ μέντοι παῖδες ἴσασιν ὅτι ὁ νενικηκὼς καὶ λεγόμενος βασιλεὺς σκυτοτόμου υἱός ἐστιν ἢ τέκτονος, καὶ δεῖ μανθάνειν αὐτὸν τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τέχνην· ὁ δὲ ἀποδρὰς παίζει μεθ´ ἑτέρων, {καὶ τότε μάλιστα οἴεται σπουδάζειν ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ δοῦλος καταλιπὼν τὸν δεσπότην.} (48) ἴσως οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς τοιοῦτόν τι ποιεῖτε, ἑκάτερος ὑμῶν παῖδας ἔχοντες τοὺς συμφιλονικοῦντας, ὁ μὲν Πέρσας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν, σὺ δὲ Μακεδόνας τε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ἕλληνας. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι τῇ σφαίρᾳ στοχάζονται ἀλλήλων, ὁ δὲ πληγεὶς ἥττηται, καὶ σὺ νῦν Δαρείου στοχάζῃ καὶ σοῦ ἐκεῖνος, καὶ τυχὸν ἂν πλήξαις τε καὶ ἐκβάλοις αὐτόν· ἐπισκοπώτερος γὰρ εἶναί μοι δοκεῖς. (49) ἔπειτα οἱ μετ´ ἐκείνου πρότερον ὄντες μετὰ σοῦ ἔσονται καὶ ὑποκύψουσι, καὶ σὺ ὀνομασθήσῃ βασιλεὺς ἁπάντων. ὁ οὖν Ἀλέξανδρος πάλιν ἐλυπεῖτο καὶ ἤχθετο. οὐδὲ γὰρ ζῆν ἐβούλετο, εἰ μὴ βασιλεὺς εἴη τῆς Εὐρώπης καὶ τῆς Ἀσίας καὶ τῆς Λιβύης καὶ εἴ πού τίς ἐστι νῆσος ἐν τῷ Ὠκεανῷ κειμένη.

[4,45] For instance, when Xerxes and Darius marched down from Susa driving a mighty host of Persians, Medes, Sacae, Arabs, and Egyptians into our land of Greece to their destruction, were they functioning as kings or as butchers in driving this booty for future slaughter ? (46) And Alexander said : "Apparently you do not hold even the Great King to be a king, do you ? " And Diogenes with a smile replied, "No more, Alexander, than I do my little finger." "But shall I not be a great king," Alexander asked, "when once I have overthrown him ? " "Yes, but not for that reason," replied Diogenes ; "for not even when boys play the game to which the boys themselves give the name ` kings ' is the winner really a king. The boys, anyhow, know that the winner who has the title of ' king ' is only the son of a shoemaker or a carpenter—and he ought to be learning his father's trade, but he has played truant and is now playing with the other boys, and he fancies that now of all times he is engaged in a serious business—and sometimes the ' king ' is even a slave who has deserted his master. Now perhaps you kings are also doing something like that : each of you has playmates—the eager followers on his side—he his Persians and the other peoples of Asia, and you your Macedonians and the other Greeks. And just as those boys try to hit one another with the ball, and the one who is hit loses, so you now are aiming at Darius and he at you, and perhaps you may hit him and put him out ; for I think you are the better shot. Then, those who were on his side at first will be on yours and will do you obeisance, and you will be styled king over all." Now Alexander was again hurt and vexed, for he did not care to live at all unless he might be king of Europe, Asia, Libya, and of any islands which might lie in the ocean.