Phocion of Athens

As a reference for Marcus Aurelius 11.13:

Phocion of Athens was often described as a genuinely virtuous man, deeply temperate in his own life, never the bully, always willing to find some sort of compromise with others. They say that that this was the reason why he was so successful as a statesman, and that this was why the Athenian Assembly would turn to him, time and time again, to serve the city.

See? Virtue will win you respect, and a man successful in his character can also be successful in the public arena.

Yet wait until the tide turns, even after all those years. When the Macedonians took control of Athens, Phocion was no longer so convenient. He was now the villain, for having stood by the very same values he had always stood by before.

The only difference was that those values were no longer popular. And so the Athenians executed him. Had he perhaps made mistakes in too readily welcoming the new invading masters? Quite possibly. He sadly compounded it all by still asking them to now be fair and just.

And this cost him his life.

Marcus Aurelius wonders if he was actually sincere, or just playing a game, and I have no idea what to think about that. Let the historians decide about the legacy, but let Phocian's own conscience be his own judge. I have a sense he has nothing to fear in this regard.

I am too far along in my life to be a Phocian in the public sphere, and I only learned the frugality that defined him far too late to earn any respect. But let's say I did somehow eventually earn any respect at all; that would never make me better, not one bit at all. The fame comes and goes, but the virtue remains.

The dose of hemlock given to Phocion was apparently not strong enough to kill him. The executioner asked for more pay to get the job done, to which Phocion replied: "In Athens, it is hard for a man even to die without paying for it."

When Phillip II tried to bribe him with wealth and honors, Plutarch claims that he said: "If my sons are like me, my farm, which has enabled my present eminence, will suffice for them. If, instead, they become spoiled by luxury, I will not be the individual who will be guilty for that."

If you find such people in your life, cling to them. You may live in riches, or you may die in poverty, but at least you will have lived, or died, with character.