Letter 222

Isidore of PelusiumUnknown|isidore pelusium
From: Isidore of Pelusium, monk at Pelusium
To: Cyrus the Monk
Date: ~410 AD
Context: Isidore on the hidden cost of accepting favors — how the person who receives too much becomes indebted in ways that compromise his freedom.

I am astonished at the insatiable greed of certain people. But I am equally concerned about the other side of the transaction: the one who accepts a favor has sold something he may not have intended to sell.

Every favor accepted creates an obligation. A small favor creates a small one; a large favor creates a large one. The man who accepts too many favors from the wrong people will find that he is no longer free to speak, to act, or to judge honestly — because every honest judgment now costs him something he received under false pretenses of pure generosity.

Guard your independence. It is worth more than the favors.

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.