Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.7 — Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.7
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on Zeno
“King Antigonus to Zeno the philosopher, greeting. “While in fortune and fame I deem myself your superior, in reason and education I own myself inferior, as well as in the perfect happiness which you have attained. Wherefore I have decided to ask you to pay me a visit, being persuaded that you will not refuse the request. By all means, then, do your best to hold conference with me, understanding clearly that you will not be the instructor of myself alone but of all the Macedonians taken together. For it is obvious that whoever instructs the ruler of Macedonia and guides him in the paths of virtue will also be training his subjects to be good men. As is the ruler, such for the most part it may be expected that his subjects will become.” And Zeno’s reply is as follows:
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.7 (on Zeno), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.7
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book VII, tr. R. D. Hicks (Loeb, 1925). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesA king openly admits that although he has more power and fame than the philosopher, he is behind him in wisdom and in happiness, and he asks him to come teach. His reasoning is that a ruler guided toward virtue shapes his whole people for the better.
Themes and situations
- Leadership and power
- Virtue and character
- Learning and progress
- Leading others
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