Sunday, January 16, 2022
Against Almsgiving
Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans: Anonymous 56 (= Moralia 235 D; tr. Frank Cole Babbitt):
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A beggar asked alms of a Spartan, who said, "If I should give to you, you will be the more a beggar; and for this unseemly conduct of yours he who first gave to you is responsible, for he thus made you lazy."Related post: Philanthropy.
ἐπαίτης ᾔτησε Λάκωνα. "ἀλλὰ εἰ δοίην σοι," ἔφη, "μᾶλλον πτωχεύσεις, τῆς δὲ ἀσχημοσύνης σου ταύτης ὁ πρῶτος μεταδοὺς αἴτιος, ἀργόν σε ποιήσας."
