Oration 24

The mass of men have given no thought at all, in a general way, to what manner of men they ought to be, nor to what is best for a man—that for the sake of which he ought to do everything else; but individually they have busied themselves, some with horsemanship, some with generalship, some with athletic contests, some with music, others with farming, others with the power of speaking. But what use each of these things is to them, or what benefit might arise from it, they do not know nor even inquire.

And so certain men become good horsemen—those who work hard at it and practise it diligently—and others become more capable than the rest at wrestling and boxing and running and the other contests, and at not failing in the sowing of seed, and, when sailing, at not wrecking the ship; and some understand music better than others. But a man who is good and prudent, and who knows this very thing—who the worthy man of sense is—not one such can you find among them.

Take, for instance, the power of speaking: at it all are in earnest, many of those who pass for free men and lovers of honor—some in order to contend in the law-courts and in speaking before the people, and through this to have greater power than the rest and do whatever they themselves wish; others for the sake of the reputation that comes from the thing, that they may be thought clever. And some say they desire the very experience of it; and of these, some are speakers, others are writers only, whom one of the men of old called the borderland between philosophers and statesmen. But what good they do, or to what end their reputation is useful to them, or what benefit there is in this experience, they do not consider.

But I say that all those other things, apart from this kind of care and inquiry, are worth little; whereas to the man who has reflected upon that matter and understood it, both speaking and generalship and whatever else he may do prove profitable and turn out to his good. For to be praised in itself by senseless men, such as the many are, or to have power in such matters, or to live pleasantly, would differ not at all, as regards happiness, from being blamed and having no power and living in hardship.