Hierocles

The first thing that belongs to an animal is its own constitution and consciousness of itself. This is the beginning of oikeiosis, or appropriation to itself.

Just as we are attached to ourselves, so we are naturally attached to our children, our parents, our brothers, our wife, and our fellow-citizens. The circles of concern spread outward.

We should try to draw the circles together, as it were, by transferring what is in the inner circle to the outer circle. We should treat our brother as ourselves, and our fellow-citizen as our brother.

The wise man is related to all men by nature, and therefore he regards the interests of all men as his own. This is the true cosmopolitanism.

The animal is born with a love for itself, and this love is the foundation of all virtue. For from it arises the love of parents, children, and country.

The duty of a man is to benefit his parents, his children, his brothers, his wife, and his fellow-citizens. For these are the circles of nature, and nature binds us to them.

We should not neglect the care of the body, but we should care for the soul more. For the soul is the ruling part, and the body is its instrument.

The good man is one who understands the nature of things and acts in accordance with it. He does not rebel against his constitution, but perfects it.

The rational animal is born with a capacity for virtue, but this capacity must be developed by education and practice. Nature gives the seeds, but cultivation gives the fruit.

The end of life is to live in accordance with nature and reason. This is the perfection of the rational animal, and the only true happiness.

We ought to regard all men as our fellow-citizens and neighbours.

Each of us is, as it were, entirely encompassed by many circles, some smaller, others larger, some enclosing, others enclosed.

The task of a good man is to draw the outer circles inward, treating strangers as brothers.