Letter 61

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk
To: An unnamed person of distinction
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on true nobility versus mere worldly status.

Those who love virtue and live rightly during their time on earth find their reward in eternity — they are honored in the sight of heaven, held in everlasting memory, and shine with undying glory. For they have acquired the virtue of the soul, which is fitted by nature to survive when the body decays. True nobility is not something you inherit — it is something you build. The person whose ancestors were illustrious but whose own life is disgraceful borrows a name he has no right to use. Better to be the first in your line to live well than the last in a long line of distinguished failures.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.