Therefore, no athlete is so called upon to train his body as is a king to train his soul;Cf. Isoc. 1.12. for not all the public festivals in the world offer a prize comparable to those for which you who are kings strive every day of your lives. This thought you must lay to heart, and see to it that in proportion as you are above the others in rank so shall you surpass them in virtue;

and do not hold the view that while diligence is of use in all other matters it is of no avail to make us better and wiser; and do not deem us, the human kind, so unfortunate that, although in dealing with wild beasts we have discovered arts by which we tame their spirits and increase their worth, yet in our own case we are powerless to help ourselves in the pursuit of virtue.This thought and comparison is elaborated with verbal echoes from here in Isoc. 15.209-214. Cf. the debate on whether virtue can be taught: Theog. 429; Xen. Mem. 1.2.19 ff.; Plat. Meno 95e. A conservative opinion is expressed on the question by Isocrates in Isoc. 15.209-214. On the contrary, be convinced that education and diligence are in the highest degree potent to improve our nature,