Miscellanies 1.6.36

Well, then, does Anaxarchus the Eudaemonist write in his work On Kingship: “Much learning greatly benefits and greatly harms its possessor: it benefits the one who is clever, but harms the one who readily utters every word before every crowd. One must know the measures of the right moment; for this is the definition of wisdom. But those who sing at doors, even if they sing something sensible, are not counted among the wise, but have the reputation of folly.” And Hesiod: “of the Muses, who make a man of many words, inspired, eloquent”; for by “of many words” he means one fluent in speech, by “eloquent” one who is skilled, and by “inspired” one who is experienced, a lover of wisdom, and knowledgeable of the truth.