Now all these instances, where I appear to have had a clearer foresight than the
 rest, I shall not refer to a single cause, men of Athens —my real or pretended cleverness The Greek here is difficult. Most edd. awkwardly
 render ἀλαζονεία [cause for] boasting : it is rather political quackery passing muster for real
 statesmanship. ; nor will I claim that my knowledge and discernment
 were due to anything else than two things, which I will mention. One, men of
 Athens , was good luck, which my
 experience tells me is worth all the cleverness and wisdom in the world. The second is this: on public questions my estimates and decisions are
 disinterested, and no one can show that my policy and my speeches have been in
 any way bound up with my private gain. Hence I always see accurately the
 advantageous course as suggested by actual circumstances. But the instant you
 throw money into one scale, its weight bears down the judgement with it; and for
 him that has once done this, accurate and sound calculation becomes utterly
 impossible. Now there is one precaution which I think essential. If anyone proposes to
 negotiate for our city an alliance or a joint contribution A euphemism under the second Athenian confederacy for the
 tribute ( φόρος ) of the first. or
 anything of the sort, it must be done without detriment to the existing peace. I
 do not mean that the peace is a glorious one or even creditable to you, but,
 whatever we may think of it, it would better suit our purpose never to have made
 it than to violate it when made, because we have now sacrificed many advantages
 which would have made war safer and easier for us then than now. The second precaution, men of Athens, is to avoid giving the self-styled
 Amphictyons now assembled any call or excuse for a crusade against us. For if we
 should hereafter come to blows with Philip, about Amphipolis or in any private quarrel
 not shared by the Thessalians or the Argives or the Thebans, I do not believe
 for a moment that any of the latter would be dragged into the war, least of
 all— hear me before you shout me down—least of all the Thebans. I do not mean that
 they regard us with favor or that they would not readily oblige Philip, but they
 do realize quite clearly, for all the stolidity that people attribute to them,
 that if they ever fight you, they will have to take all the hard knocks
 themselves, and someone else will sit quietly by, waiting for the spoils.
 Therefore they would never make such a sacrifice unless the war had a common
 cause and origin.