The best people renounce all for one goal, the eternal fame of mortals; but most people stuff themselves like cattle.
Τίς γὰρ αὐτῶν νόος ἢ φρήν; [δήμων] ἀοιδοῖσι ἕπονται καὶ διδασκάλῳ χρέωνται ὁμίλῳ, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι πολλοὶ κακοὶ ὀλίγοι δὲ ἀγαθοί. αἱρεῦνται γὰρ ἓν ἀντία πάντων οἱ ἄριστοι, κλέος ἀέναον θνητῶν, οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ κεκόρηνται ὅκωσπερ κτήνεα.
Original text (Ancient Greek)
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Notes from Wikiquote
For what sense or understanding have they? They follow minstrels and take the multitude for a teacher, not knowing that many are bad and few good. For the best men choose one thing above all – immortal glory among mortals; but the masses stuff themselves like cattle. (G.T.W. Patrick, 1889) | "The passage is restored as above by Bernays (Heraclitea i. p. 34), and Bywater (p. 43), from the following sources | Clement of Alex. Strom. v. 9, p. 682. | Proclus in Alcib. p. 255 Creuzer, = 525 ed. Cous. ii. | Clement of Alex. Strom. iv. 7, p. 586."