Book 1, Chapter 5

I suppose it may be taken as admitted that self-control is a noble acquirement for a man. ¹ If so, let us turn and consider whether by language like the following he was likely to lead his listeners onwards ² to the attainment of this virtue. "Sirs," he would say, "if a war came upon us and we wished to choose a man who would best help us to save ourselves and to subdue our enemy, I suppose we should scarcely select one whom we knew to be a slave to his belly, to wine, or lust, and prone to succumb to toil or sleep. Could we expect such an one to save us or to master our foes? Or if one of us were nearing the end of his days, and he wished to discover some one to whom he might entrust his sons for education, his maiden daughters for protection, and his property in general for preservation, would he deem a libertine worthy of such offices? Why, no one would dream of entrusting his flocks and herds, his storehouses and barns, or the superintendence of his works to the tender mercies of an intemperate slave. If a butler or an errand boy with such a character were offered to us we would not take him as a free gift. And if he would not accept an intemperate slave, what pains should the master himself take to avoid that imputation. ³ For with the incontinent man it is not as with the self-seeker and the covetous. These may at any rate be held to enrich themselves in depriving others. But the intemperate man cannot claim in like fashion to be a blessing to himself if a curse to his neighbours; nay, the mischief which he may cause to others is nothing by comparison with that which redounds against himself, since it is the height of mischief to ruin—I do not say one's own house and property—but one's own body and one's own soul. Or to take an example from social intercourse, no one cares for a guest who evidently takes more pleasure in the wine and the viands than in the friends beside him—who stints his comrades of the affection due to them to dote upon a mistress. Does it not come to this, that every honest man is bound to look upon self-restraint as the very corner-stone of virtue: ⁴ which he should seek to lay down as the basis and foundation of his soul? Without self-restraint who can lay any good lesson to heart or practise it when learnt in any degree worth speaking of? Or, to put it conversely, what slave of pleasure will not suffer degeneracy of soul and body? By Hera, ⁵ well may every free man pray to be saved from the service of such a slave; and well too may he who is in bondage to such pleasures supplicate Heaven to send him good masters, seeing that is the one hope of salvation left him."

I suppose we can agree that self-control is a noble quality for a man to acquire. ¹ If so, let us consider whether words like these were likely to lead his listeners onward ² toward that virtue. "Gentlemen," he would say, "suppose war came upon us and we wanted to choose a man to help us. We would want him to save us and defeat our enemy. Surely we would hardly choose someone we knew to be a slave to food, wine, or lust. Nor would we choose someone who easily gives in to fatigue or sleep. Could we expect such a man to save us or defeat our enemies? "Or suppose one of us were nearing the end of his life. He might want to find someone to educate his sons, protect his unmarried daughters, and preserve his property. Would he consider a self-indulgent man fit for those duties? No one would dream of putting an intemperate slave in charge of his flocks and herds, his storehouses and barns, or his work. If someone offered us a butler or an errand boy of that character, we would not take him as a gift. And if a master would not accept an intemperate slave, how carefully should he avoid being thought intemperate himself! ³ "For an intemperate man is not like a selfish or greedy man. A selfish or greedy man can at least be said to enrich himself by taking from others. But an intemperate man cannot claim in the same way to benefit himself while harming his neighbors. In fact, the harm he may cause others is nothing compared with the harm he does himself. For the worst harm is to ruin one's own body and soul, not merely one's house and property. "Consider also how people behave in company. No one welcomes a guest who clearly enjoys the wine and food more than the friends beside him. Nor does anyone welcome a guest who withholds the affection he owes his companions to dote on a mistress. Does it not follow that every honest man must regard self-restraint as the cornerstone of virtue? ⁴ He should make self-restraint the foundation of his soul. Without self-restraint, who can truly take any good lesson to heart or put it into practice to any worthwhile degree? And conversely, what slave of pleasure will not suffer a decline in body and soul? By Hera, ⁵ every free man has good reason to pray that he will be spared service to such a slave. And anyone enslaved by such pleasures has good reason to beg Heaven for good masters, since that is his only remaining hope of salvation."

Well-tempered words: yet his self-restraint shone forth even more in his acts than in his language. Not only was he master over the pleasures which flow from the body, but of those also which are fed by riches, his belief being that he who receives money from this or that chance donor sets up over himself a master, and binds himself to an abominable slavery.

These were measured words, but his self-control showed even more clearly in his actions. He mastered not only bodily pleasures but also the pleasures that wealth provides. He believed that anyone who accepts money from just anyone makes that person his master and binds himself to a hateful slavery.