The readiest and surest way to get rid of censure, is to correct ourselves.

εἰ γὰρ οἴεσθε ἀποκτείνοντες ἀνθρώπους ἐπισχήσειν τοῦ ὀνειδίζειν τινὰ ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐκ ὀρθῶς ζῆτε, οὐ καλῶς διανοεῖσθε· οὐ γὰρ ἐσθ᾿ αὕτη ἡ ἀπαλλαγὴ οὔτε πάνυ δυνατὴ οὔτε καλή, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκείνη καὶ καλλίστη καὶ ῥᾴστη, μὴ τοὺς ἄλλους κολούειν ἀλλ᾿ ἑαυτὸν παρασκευάζειν ὅπως ἔσται ὡς βέλτιστος. | For if you think that by putting people to death you’ll prevent anyone remonstrating with you for not living your lives in the right way, you’re not thinking straight. You see this is not a very practicable or honorable way to get out of it. But the best and easiest way is not to restrain everyone else, but prepare oneself to be the best possible. (tr. C. Emlyn-Jones, W. Preddy, 2017) | The paraphrase was made by Jacques de Tourreil, in his introduction to Demosthenes (Philippiques de Demosthene, Paris, 1701, p. 115), with attribution to Plato. The English comes from a translation of Tourreil, in Several Orations of Demosthenes (London, 1702), p. 146. | First attributed to Demosthenes in Laconics; or Instructive Miscellanies (Philadelphia, 1827), p. 50.