Source edition
Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol. V. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a philosophical and political discourse that expounds on the vital importance of philosophy and reason (logos) for rulers, urging them to govern themselves before governing others. Addressing rulers directly, the text employs historical anecdotes and vivid metaphors to deliver its message. It begins by contrasting uneducated rulers with hollow, giant statues, asserting that true leadership requires the ruler to first discipline their own soul. The argument progresses to state that a ruler should not be governed by written laws, but by an internal reason, through which they embody virtue and become an image of the divine. Finally, the work warns that power easily exposes one's vices, emphasizing that a philosopher-ruler must suppress their passions and exercise self-control as gently and steadily as the sun.