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 practical ethical essay warns against the spiritual and material enslavement caused by easy borrowing, advocating instead for the preservation of freedom through self-sufficiency. Beginning with Plato's restrictions on water usage, the author argues for the importance of discarding unnecessary luxuries and living by one's own means. He vividly depicts the misery of debtors by comparing them to those tortured in Hades, while exposing the insatiable greed of moneylenders to emphasize how ruinous debt is. Furthermore, drawing examples from the natural world where animals do not borrow, as well as ancient philosophers who lived nobly through self-reliant labor, he demonstrates the dignity of independence. Finally, the work criticizes the wealthy who accumulate debt out of mere vanity, urging readers to escape the trap of subjection even if it means embracing voluntary poverty.