[35,11] ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὅπως ποτὲ ἔχει, λελέχθω. {τὸ δὲ κομᾶν οὐ χρὴ πάντως ὑπολαμβάνειν ὡς ἀρετῆς σημεῖον. πολλοὶ γὰρ δὴ διὰ θεόν τινα κομῶσιν ἄνθρωποι· καὶ γεωργοὶ κομῆται, μηδὲ τοὔνομα ἀκούσαντές ποτε τὸ φιλοσοφίας, καὶ νὴ Δία οἱ πλείους τῶν βαρβάρων, οἱ μὲν σκέπης ἕνεκεν, οἱ δὲ καὶ πρέπειν αὑτοῖς νομίζοντες. τούτων δ´ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπίφθονος οὐδεὶς οὐδὲ καταγέλαστος.

[35,11] Well then, whatever be the truth in these matters, let this suffice. However, I still maintain that long hair must not by any means be taken as a mark of virtue. For many human beings wear it long because of some deity ; and farmers wear long hair, without ever having even heard the word philosophy ; and, by Zeus, most barbarians also wear long hair, some for a covering and some because they believe it to be becoming. In none of these cases is a man subjected to odium or ridicule.

[35,12] ἴσως γὰρ ὀρθῶς αὐτὸ πράττουσιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς λαγὼς ὁρᾶτε τοὺς πάνυ ἀσθενεῖς ὑπὸ τῆς δασύτητος σῳζομένους, καὶ τῶν ὀρνέων τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις ἐξαρκεῖ τὰ πτερὰ εἴργειν τὸν ἄνεμον καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, διότι ἐξ αὐτῶν πέφυκεν. ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν μὲν κόμην ἀφαιροῦμεν, ὥσπερ οἱ νομεῖς τῶν ἵππων, ἃς ἂν ἐθέλωσι παραβαλεῖν τοῖς ὄνοις, καὶ τὰ γένεια ἀποκείρομεν, τὰς δὲ κεφαλὰς σκέπομεν. {τοὺς δὲ ἀλεκτρυόνας ὁρῶμεν οὐδενὸς τοιούτου προσδεομένους, ὧν ἄνθρωποι} σισύρας καὶ πίλους καὶ τοιαῦθ´ ἕτερα ξυρράπτοντες. καὶ ποῖος ἂν γένοιτο πῖλος Ἀρκαδικὸς ἢ Λακωνικὸς μᾶλλον ἁρμόττων τῆς αὑτοῦ κόμης ἑκάστῳ; καὶ τί δεῖ, φησί, τοσούτων ὄντων σκεπασμάτων; οὐδὲν τοῖς γε πλουσίοις· ἐκείνοις μὲν οὐδὲ χειρῶν οὐδὲ ποδῶν.}

[35,12] The reason may well be because their practice is correct. For instance, you observe that rabbits, weak creatures that they are, are protected by their shaggy coats, and that among the birds even the weakest find their feathers a sufficient protection against wind and rain. But as for us human beings, while we shear off our locks (just as horse-breeders shear the manes of mares that they plan to mate with asses) and also shave our beards, we make coverings for our heads. Yet we observe that cocks require nothing extra as human beings do, goat-skin coats and caps of felt and other similar coverings which we stitch together. And yet what cap of Arcadian or Laconian make could be more suitable than a man's own hair ? " Besides," someone will ask, " what need is there for so many coverings for the body ? " No need, at least for men of wealth ; indeed they do not need hands or feet either.