Plutarch, De Se Ipsum Citra Invidiam Laudando, ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs, 3

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[3] ἔστιν οὖν κενὸς ἔπαινος ὁ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπαινεῖν, ὅπως ἐπαινεθῶσι, δοκούντων καὶ καταφρονεῖται 20 μάλιστα, φιλοτιμίας ἕνεκα γίγνεσθαι καὶ δόξης ἀκαίρου φαινόμενος. ὡς γὰρ οἱ τροφῆς ἀποροῦντες ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος ἀναγκάζονται παρὰ φύσιν τρέφεσθαι, καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ λιμοῦ τέλος ἐστίν· οὕτως οἱ πεινῶντες ἐπαίνων, ἂν μὴ τυγχάνωσιν ἑτέρων 25 540b ἐπαινούντων, αὐτοὶ τῇ φιλοδοξίᾳ παρʼ αὑτῶν ἐπαρκεῖν τι βούλεσθαι καὶ συνεισφέρειν δοκοῦντες, ἀσχημονοῦσιν. ὅταν δὲ μηδʼ ἁπλῶς καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπαινεῖσθαι ζητῶσιν, ἀλλʼ ἁμιλλώμενοι πρὸς ἀλλοτρίους ἐπαίνους ἔργα καὶ πράξεις ἀντιπαραβάλλωσιν αὑτῶν ὡς ἀμαυρώσοντες ἑτέρους, πρὸς τῷ κενῷ βάσκανον πρᾶγμα καὶ κακόηθες ποιοῦσι. τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ χορῷ πόδα τιθέντα, περίεργον ἡ 5 παροιμία καὶ γελοῖον ἀποδείκνυσι τὴν δʼ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπαίνοις εἰς μέσον ὑπὸ φθόνου καὶ ζηλοτυπίας ἐξωθουμένην περιαυτολογίαν εὖ μάλα δεῖ φυλάττεσθαι, καὶ μηδʼ ἑτέρων ἐπαινούντων αὑτὸν 540c ὑπομένειν, ἀλλὰ παραχωρεῖν τοῖς τιμωμένοις, ἀξίοις 10 οὖσιν ἂν δʼ ἀνάξιοι καὶ φαῦλοι δόξωσιν εἶναι, μὴ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἐπαίνοις ἀφαιρώμεθα τοὺς ἐκείνων, ἀλλʼ ἄντικρυς ἐλέγχοντες; καὶ δεικνύντες οὐ προσηκόντως εὐδοκιμοῦντας. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν δῆλον ὅτι φυλακτέον. 15

De Se Ipsum Citra Invidiam Laudando. Plutarch. ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs. Leipzig. 1891.

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Περὶ τοῦ ἑαυτὸν ἐπαινεῖν ἀνεπιφθόνως (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol. IΙI. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1891.)

Translations (1)

How a Man May Inoffensively Praise Himself Without Being Liable to Envy Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. II. Goodwin, William W., editor; Lancaster, P., translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 3 focus

[3] The praise therefore is vain which a man heaps on himself to provoke others also to praise him, and is chiefly contemptible, as proceeding from an importunate and unseasonable affectation of esteem.

For as they who are ready to die for food are compelled against nature to gnaw off their own flesh, and thus put a miserable end to their famine; so they who mortally hunger after praise, unless some one afford them a little scantling alms of commendation, do violate the laws of decency, shamelessly endeavoring to supply those wants by an unnatural extolling of themselves.

But when they do not on the bare consideration of themselves hunt applause, but strive to obscure the worth of others, by fighting against their praises and opposing their own works and practices to theirs, they add to their vanity an envious and abhorred baseness. He who thrusts his foot into another’s dance is stigmatized with a proverb as a ridiculous and pragmatical clown; but upon envy and jealousy to thrust ourselves between the praises of others, or to interrupt the same with our own self praise, is a thing that we ought equally to beware of. Neither should we allow others to praise us at such a time, but frankly yield the honor to those who are then celebrated, if their merit be real; and though the persons be vicious or unworthy, yet must we not take from them by setting up ourselves; but rather on the other hand we must reprove the unskilful applauders, and demonstrate their encomiums to be improperly and dangerously conferred. It is plain that these errors must be avoided.

Plutarch De Se Ipsum Citra Invidiam Laudando 3

ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs

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