...[M]en are put in a sort of guard-post, from which one must not release one's self or run away...

...[T]he really important thing is not to live, but to live well... [a]nd to live well means the same thing as to live honourably or rightly...

Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of -- for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.

The greatest way to live with honour in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

The greater the power that deigns to serve you, the more honor it demands of you.