When a Persian asked what kind of a government he commended most highly, he said, The government which duly awards what is fitting to both the brave and the cowardly.

In answer to a man who said that he commended him and was very fond of him, he said I have two oxen in a field, and although they both may utter no sound, I know perfectly well which one is lazy and which one is the worker.

When someone was reviling him, he said, Talk right on, you miserable foreigner, talk, and don’t leave out anything if thus you may be able to empty your soul of the vicious notions with which you seem to be filled.