Letter 858: Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
Even if, to some who flatter you, the response seemed to be a product of reason rather than anger, to me it appears to be the fruit of rashness rather than boldness. Therefore I advise you to place reason before anger, and thought before speech. For the tongue is a small member but it boasts great things; and like a fire, a small spark can set ablaze a great forest. Many have been ruined not by the swords of their enemies but by the words of their own mouths. A hasty word spoken in anger cannot be recalled, any more than an arrow can be called back once it has left the bow. The wise man weighs his words before he speaks them, turning them over in his mind as a merchant turns over a coin, examining them for defects before he puts them into circulation. But the fool blurts out whatever comes into his head, and then wonders why his words have brought him ruin. I have seen more damage done by an intemperate tongue than by a drawn sword, for the wound of a sword may heal, but the wound of a word festers in the memory for years. Therefore govern your tongue as you would govern a restless horse — with a firm hand and a tight rein — and you will save yourself from many sorrows.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Εἰ χαί τισὶν ἴδως χολαχεύουσί σε, ἔδοξε λογισμοῦ εἶναι, οὐχ ὀργῆς ἡ ἀπόχρισις, ἐμοὶ δοχεΐῖ θρασύτη- τος μᾶλλον εἶναι ἣ θράσους ὁ χλρπός. Διὸ δὴ παραινῶ σοι ἔμπρο:θεν τῆς ὀργῆς τιθέναι τὸν λογισμὸν, χαὶ οὕτω χαὶ λέγειν χαὶ γράφειν. Εἰ γὰρ συγχωρή- σειας () αὐτῇ προπηδᾷν τοῦ λογισμοῦ, πάντα ἅνω χαὶ χάτω ποιήσει. 1Δ΄. --- ΘΕΟΦΙΛᾺ ΥΠΟΔΙΑΚΟΝῴ. Ὅυτι μὲν τῇ πείρᾳ τὴν φήμην ὑπερέδη ὁ μάχά- ρῶς Τιμόθεος, καὶ χρείττων ἦν ἀχοῆς εἰς θέαν ἐρχό- μᾶνος, ἅπαντες οἱ τῆς μειλιχίου ἐχείνης ἀξιωθέντες συνουδίας ἴσασιν. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ηὐχόμην τοσοῦ- τὸν δυνηθῆναι φράσαι, ὁπόσον χαὶ βούλομαι, οὐδεὶς, ὡς οἶμαι, ἀμφιδάλλει. Ἐπειδὴ εὔξασθαι μὲν ῥάδιον, τυχεῖν δὲ ἀπορώτερον, ἣ ὅσα πρόχειρον εὔξασθαι, . Ἀεὶ σσυῖν, 560η6. οΟΠ] ( φγανίοῦ ἰηνδηΐθιν, ἃς ἀθιΐᾳιθ Π06 68ΔΠ 5Γ8- Υἰβ5᾽ )3Π) οἱ διγοοὶβ8᾽ Π) 8Π ὁδιηοιδίγαῖ., ποι ΠΠΟΓΙ ἢ) δι πὶ ἰβπογαῖ, αυϊὰ ποἰνΐ8 ραγί πιο]- [15π χα ἢ) ., ἰΔπαυλη ᾿πΟυΓΔ ογθο τηδάοῦί 4ιοατηι8 ἵ ΠῸς δεΐηι θοιπὶ βου πὶ γοχυΐγὶς, ἀυΐ οἱ (υγθυ ] η. δΔη ππΟΓυ πὶ ΡαΓπιοϊΐοη68, οἱ οαμηα ΤΠ] ἔθιυ8 [πη αϊ ἃς ργοΠὶραὶ, ((υ. - ΡΕΤΒΟ, Ῥὲ ἰἰϑοτίαιο ἰοφμοπαὶ Ραμὶ ἐπ σοπεϊοπὶθε. Μαξηδ π Ὲ δόπιἰγωιοπο δίποΐς οοἰ ΘὈγὶ Π ῬΑυ]] (ογ εἰ ἢ, ΡΘΓ αυδτῃ οἱ οὐτ ἴμ Ἰυαΐοί α πὶ γοσαγθίαγ, σΟπαΙοΟηδιΟΥΪϑ πη ΘΓ [ἀρ ὈδίιΓ, οἱ οὐπὶ ὁδΔ88 οἱ ἀϊσοπὰδ οββεὶ, ἀθοιοτίβ ρϑᾶγίοβ οὐἱμθαᾶῖ, Βοοίοτί9 δηΐμη συπὶ δυοίογί δια Ἰυᾳυΐ : τοὶ δυΐθηι γη)- δ008 ῬΓῸ ἰΘΠΊΡΟΓΟ πιοάογαγὶ. Αἱ ἢἷς ἰΔπηοη οΟηίΓΆ βάγοθαῖ; Π66 Π ΓΌΠ : ΠΕ θΘυαὶ δοΐπὶ ἴῃ δοῖρϑο βϑῃἰδη(Ἶα5 ΓϑΊΟ ΓΟ πὶ ἃς πιοιξογδίογοριη. Ο(ΟΙ. -- ΑΒΟΙΌΝΤΙΟ ΜΑΟΙΘΤΒΑΤΌΜ ΘΕΈΒΠΕΝΤΙ.. ΠΙα ἱξπογαγα νἱ ἀδγίβ, ἰάθαι υϑῦυιπ), οἱ ἰδ πο- ΙΏ6ἢ , εἰ ουϊη ἀθηι ΒΓ ΠΟ η6πὶ., αἰξραγὶ σΟη Ια ΠΙΪ0η Ρτγοϊδιυ πὶ, ἢυηο φυΐϊάοπι Γαι υηΐ8 δ. ρτυιϊδηια", ἤὐυτς δυΐθπ) γᾷ ἰγυσίυϊ ρΓΩ [ἘΓΓΟ.
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