DOCUMENT: CLS-REBUILD · CLASSIFICATION: PUBLIC METHODOLOGY: SYMMETRIC · STATUS: ACTIVE
Founder or thinker

What should a statesman do about flatterers?

Plutarch Founder or thinker

Read this first Extrapolation from the historical record, not the words of the founder.
From the answer library, published September 30, 2026. Pre-generated; every quotation was checked by code.
The short answer

Plutarch

Quotes verified 5/5Coverage: PARTIALWhole record

Plutarch believed a statesman must distinguish flatterers from true friends by their behavior—flatterers avoid difficult or honorable tasks and promote vice, while true friends support virtuous actions. He warned that flatterers are harmful and should be avoided. Confidence is moderate, as the advice is based on his philosophical arguments rather than direct political practice.

  • undated “Whereas, on the contrary, if you offer to put a flatterer upon a difficult or hazardous employment, he shuffles you off and begs your pardon.” Quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands
  • undated “But the temper of a flatterer is discernible from that of a friend not only in the easiness of his promises and the troublesome impertinence that attends his good offices, but more signally in this, that the one is ready to promote any base and unworthy action, the other those only which are fair and honest.” Quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands
  • undated “I would still affirm what I have often said in the presence of divers fathers, that there is not a more pestilent sort of men than these, nor any that more certainly and speedily hurry youth into precipices.” Quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands

Extrapolation: This advice applies to modern leaders as well, emphasizing the need to seek genuine counsel over sycophantic approval.

Translation: quotations from Plutarch are quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands; quoted in Dryden's 1683-86 English translation, as revised by Arthur Hugh Clough in 1864, not his original words.

The full record: ledger, contrary evidence, reasoning, sources

Translation: quotations from Plutarch are quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands; quoted in Dryden's 1683-86 English translation, as revised by Arthur Hugh Clough in 1864, not his original words.

1. WHAT HE SAID (the record)

Record ledger

  • BELIEF (undated; quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands): A statesman should distinguish flatterers from true friends, as flatterers will not stand by him in honorable or difficult endeavors but will instead tolerate abuse and perform only sordid service. This is based on the argument that flatterers, unlike true friends, do not share in honorable burdens and only serve for personal gain. (key quote above)
  • BELIEF (undated; quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands): Plutarch believed that a flatterer is distinguished from a friend by their readiness to promote base and unworthy actions, and by their focus on pleasing rather than profiting the person they claim to befriend. He argues that a true friend promotes actions that are fair and honest. (key quote above)
  • BELIEF (undated; quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands): Plutarch believes that flatterers are a particularly harmful influence, especially on youth, and that they should be avoided. He argues that flatterers lead both parents and children astray by promoting vice over virtue. (key quote above)
  • ACTION (editor's note) (undated; editor's note, not his words; quoted in Dryden's 1683-86 English translation, as revised by Arthur Hugh Clough in 1864): The editor notes that Plutarch's work includes a reference to 'Colax, a flatterer,' but does not report any specific action taken by Plutarch regarding flatterers. "Colax, a flatterer; Corax, a crow."
  • ACTION (editor's note) (undated; editor's note, not his words; quoted in Dryden's 1683-86 English translation, as revised by Arthur Hugh Clough in 1864): The editor notes that the passage from Menander is only known by this quotation and suggests it may belong to the character of some Boastful Soldier, similar to a fragment in Athenæus from Menander's play called the Flatterer. The editor also states that Menander's first play was acted two years after Alexander's death (321 bc). "The passage from Menander is only known by this quotation."

What cuts against it

  • Nothing in the retrieved passages cuts against the answer beyond the ledger entries above.

2. HOW IT APPLIES (reasoning; inference is marked)

1. Plutarch argues that a statesman must distinguish flatterers from true friends, as flatterers avoid honorable or difficult tasks and only perform sordid service for personal gain.

2. He further explains that flatterers are ready to promote base actions and focus on pleasing rather than profiting the person they claim to befriend, unlike true friends who promote fair and honest actions.

3. Plutarch warns that flatterers are particularly harmful, especially to youth, as they lead people astray by promoting vice over virtue.

4. He notes that flatterers do not contribute to prudence and understanding but instead provoke harmful emotions and behaviors, exacerbating a person's weaknesses.

5. Therefore, a statesman should avoid flatterers and seek true friends who act with sincere concern and promote virtuous actions.

3. HIS TAKE

Record coverage: PARTIAL

The record is silent on specific actions Plutarch took against flatterers or detailed strategies for dealing with them in political life.

Extrapolation: Plutarch would likely advise a statesman to be vigilant in identifying flatterers by their behavior—avoiding difficult or honorable tasks, promoting vice, and seeking only to please. He would recommend distancing from such individuals and cultivating relationships with those who act in the interest of virtue and reason.

Competing readings: None of the record directly contradicts this extrapolation, but the lack of specific actions or strategies means this is an inference based on his stated beliefs.

Confidence: Moderate, as the extrapolation is based on his philosophical arguments rather than direct evidence of political practice.

Sources cited (click to read the passage)
  1. Quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands
    Plutarch’s Morals, 5 vols.: The Morals, vol. 2 (Plutarch’s Morals. Translated from the Greek by Several Hands. Corrected and Revised by Wi), p. 136. Translated by several hands (1684-94), corrected and revised by William W. Goodwin (1870). Document: HOW TO KNOW A FLATTERER FROM A FRIEND. / TO ANTIOCHUS PHILOPAPPUS.. Date: undated. Source type: old edited collection. Passage id: plutarch/goodwin-the-morals-vol-2/0004.35
  2. Quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands
    Plutarch’s Morals, 5 vols.: The Morals, vol. 2 (Plutarch’s Morals. Translated from the Greek by Several Hands. Corrected and Revised by Wi), p. 135. Translated by several hands (1684-94), corrected and revised by William W. Goodwin (1870). Document: HOW TO KNOW A FLATTERER FROM A FRIEND. / TO ANTIOCHUS PHILOPAPPUS.. Date: undated. Source type: old edited collection. Passage id: plutarch/goodwin-the-morals-vol-2/0004.34
  3. Quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands
    Plutarch’s Morals, 5 vols.: The Morals, vol. 1 (Ralph Waldo Emerson (introduction)), p. 30. Translated by several hands (1684-94), corrected and revised by William W. Goodwin (1870). Document: PLUTARCH’S MORALS. / A DISCOURSE TOUCHING THE TRAINING OF CHILDREN.. Date: undated. Source type: old edited collection. Passage id: plutarch/emerson-the-morals-vol-1/0001.25
  4. Quoted in Dryden's 1683-86 English translation, as revised by Arthur Hugh Clough in 1864
    Plutarch’s Lives (Dryden trans.): Plutarch’s Lives (Dryden trans.) vol. 2 (A.H. Clough (editor)). Translated by John Dryden and others (1683-86), revised by Arthur Hugh Clough (1683-86; rev. 1864). Document: Editor's note [n1]. Date: undated. Source type: EDITOR'S NOTE (the editor's words, not the person's). Passage id: plutarch/clough-s-lives-dryden-trans-vol-2/0019.00
  5. Quoted in Dryden's 1683-86 English translation, as revised by Arthur Hugh Clough in 1864
    Plutarch’s Lives (Dryden trans.): Plutarch’s Lives (Dryden trans.) vol. 4 (A.H. Clough (editor)). Translated by John Dryden and others (1683-86), revised by Arthur Hugh Clough (1683-86; rev. 1864). Document: Editor's note [n?]. Date: undated. Source type: EDITOR'S NOTE (the editor's words, not the person's). Passage id: plutarch/clough-s-lives-dryden-trans-vol-4/0156.00
  6. Quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands
    Plutarch’s Morals, 5 vols.: The Morals, vol. 2 (Plutarch’s Morals. Translated from the Greek by Several Hands. Corrected and Revised by Wi), p. 130. Translated by several hands (1684-94), corrected and revised by William W. Goodwin (1870). Document: HOW TO KNOW A FLATTERER FROM A FRIEND. / TO ANTIOCHUS PHILOPAPPUS.. Date: undated. Source type: old edited collection. Passage id: plutarch/goodwin-the-morals-vol-2/0004.29
  7. Quoted in Goodwin's 1870 revision of the 1684-94 English translation by several hands
    Plutarch’s Morals, 5 vols.: The Morals, vol. 2 (Plutarch’s Morals. Translated from the Greek by Several Hands. Corrected and Revised by Wi), p. 132. Translated by several hands (1684-94), corrected and revised by William W. Goodwin (1870). Document: HOW TO KNOW A FLATTERER FROM A FRIEND. / TO ANTIOCHUS PHILOPAPPUS.. Date: undated. Source type: old edited collection. Passage id: plutarch/goodwin-the-morals-vol-2/0004.31

Quote check: PASSED (5/5 quotations verified verbatim)

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