Demosthenes

This you must leave off; be yourselves again; establish a general liberty of speech, deliberation, and action.

If ye act thus, not only will ye praise the speaker at the moment, but yourselves afterward, when the condition of the country is improved.

Not the same ideas, men of Athens, are presented to me, when I look at our condition and when at the speeches which are delivered.

The speeches, I find, are about punishing Philip; but our condition is come to this, that we must mind we are not first damaged ourselves.

But here is the crisis of another war, the cause why I mentioned the past, that you may not repeat your error.

If you lend not the utmost possible aid, see how you will have manoeuvred every thing for Philip's benefit.

When you have repealed these, and made the road to good counsel safe, then find a man to propose what you all know to be desirable.

But before doing so, look not for one who will advise good measures and be destroyed by you for his pains.

Such a person you will not find, especially as the only result would be, for the adviser and mover to suffer wrongfully, and, without forwarding matters, to render good counsel still more dangerous in future.

It is unjust, that their authors should enjoy a popularity which has injured the commonwealth, while the adviser of salutary measures suffers by a displeasure that may lead to general improvement.

Another thing, too, you should observe, Athenians, that a decree is worth nothing, without a readiness on your part to do what you determine.

I have not spoken for the idle purpose of giving offense: I am not so foolish or perverse, as to provoke your displeasure without intending your good: but I think an upright citizen should prefer the advancement of the commonweal to the…

Shall we not sail with at least a part of our national forces, now though not before?

Action, posterior in order of time to speaking and voting, is in efficacy prior and superior.

For what time or season would you have better than the present?

For so in battles, no runaway accuses himself, but his general, his neighbor, any one rather; though, sure enough, the defeat is owing to all the runaways; for each one who accuses the rest might have stood his ground, and had each done so…

To pray is simple enough, Athenians, collecting all that one desires in a short petition: but to decide, when measures are the subject of consideration, is not quite so easy; for we must choose the profitable rather than the pleasant…

The wishes of men are indeed a great help to such arguments, and therefore the easiest thing in the world is self-deceit; for every man believes what he wishes, though the reality is often different.

It becomes not a wise or magnanimous people, to neglect military operations for want of money, and bear disgraces like these; or, while you snatch up arms to march against Corinthians and Megarians, to let Philip enslave Greek cities for…

But since these orators have appeared, who ask, What is your pleasure? what shall I move? how can I oblige you? the public welfare is complimented away for a moment's popularity, and these are the results; the orators thrive, you are…

By a conduct honorable toward the Greeks, pious to the gods, brotherlike among themselves, they justly attained a high prosperity.

They have risen from beggary to opulence, or from obscurity to honor; some have made their private houses more splendid than the public buildings; and in proportion as the state has declined, their fortunes have been exalted.

Because anciently the people, having the courage to be soldiers, controlled the statesmen, and disposed of all emoluments; any of the rest was happy to receive from the people his share of honor, office, or advantage.

It is impossible, I say, to have a high and noble spirit, while you are engaged in petty and mean employments: whatever be the pursuits of men, their characters must be similar.

As a house, a ship, or the like, ought to have the lower parts firmest, so in human conduct, I ween, the principle and foundation should be just and true.