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Sextus Empiricus

Against the Ethicists, Book XI of Against the Learned Section 146

Section 146 of 257

Canonical reference 11.146

Ancient Greek

Hermann Mutschmann and Jürgen Mau, editors · adversus-grc

οἷον ὁ λέγων, εἰ τύχοι, ἀγαθὸν μὲν τὸν πλοῦτον, κακὸν δὲ τὴν πενίαν, μὴ ἔχων μὲν τὸν πλοῦτον διχῶς ταράττεται, καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει τὸ ἀγαθόν, καὶ ὅτι πραγματεύεται τὴν περίκτησιν αὐτοῦ, κτησάμενος δ’ αὐτὸν κατὰ τρεῖς τιμωρεῖται τρόπους, καὶ ὅτι πέραν τοῦ μετρίου γέγηθε, καὶ ὅτι πραγματεύεται εἰς τὸ παραμένειν αὐτῷ τὸν πλοῦτον, καὶ ὅτι ἀγωνιᾷ καὶ δέδιεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀποβολήν.

English AI-generated translation, non-official

Codex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11

For example, one who says that wealth is good and poverty evil is disturbed in two ways when he lacks wealth: because he does not possess the good, and because he labours to acquire it. After acquiring it, he is punished in three ways: because he rejoices beyond measure, because he labours to make the wealth remain with him, and because he is anxious and afraid of losing it.

French AI-generated translation, non-official

Codex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11

Ainsi, celui qui appelle la richesse un bien et la pauvreté un mal est doublement troublé lorsqu’il ne possède pas la richesse : parce qu’il ne possède pas le bien, et parce qu’il travaille à l’acquérir. Lorsqu’il l’a acquise, il est tourmenté de trois façons : parce que sa joie dépasse la mesure, parce qu’il travaille à conserver sa richesse, et parce qu’il s’angoisse et redoute de la perdre.

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