Alexander having on one occasion sent a letter to Antipater at Athens by a certain Athlios, Diogenes, who was present, said:
"Graceless son of graceless sire to graceless wight by graceless squire."
Perdiccas having threatened to put Diogenes to death unless he came to him, "That's nothing wonderful," said he, "for a beetle or a tarantula would do the same."
Instead of that he would have expected the threat to be that Perdiccas would be quite happy to do without his company.
He would often insist loudly that the gods had given to men the means of living easily, but this had been put out of sight, because we require honeyed cakes, unguents and the like.
Hence to a man whose shoes were being put on by his servant, he said, "You have not attained to full felicity, unless he wipes your nose as well; and that will come, when you have lost the use of your hands."
—Diogenes Laërtius, 6.44
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