1 h 43 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if absolute power leaves you unable to trust a friend or enjoy an ordinary pleasure?
In Xenophon's short dialogue Hiero, the poet Simonides visits Hiero, ruler of Syracuse in Sicily. He asks which life brings more happiness: that of a private citizen or that of a tyrant. Hiero knows both. His answer opens a bleak view of power from the ruler's side.
For Hiero, fear reaches into ordinary comforts, friendship, and honor. Simonides presses him: why do so many people want power if it brings such misery? Their conversation explores the gap between being feared and being loved, then turns toward practical ways a ruler might use power to earn goodwill.
What you’ll discover
- Pleasure under pressure See why Hiero finds less joy in the comforts others expect a ruler to enjoy.
- Friendship without trust Consider the ruler's need for friends when fear makes trust so difficult.
- The limits of honor Ask what praise is worth when the people offering it fear your power.
- A poet pushes back Follow Simonides as he challenges Hiero's account of power and its burdens.
- Power turned toward goodwill Explore practical proposals for ruling well rather than relying on fear.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers curious about power, leadership and what makes a life happy, and anyone who wants an early work of political thought in a short form. It may disappoint those hoping for a story, since it is a talk between two men.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The tyrant enjoys the senses less
- Fear poisons every ordinary comfort
- A tyrant cannot trust friends or citizens
- Honor won by fear is worth little
- Rule well and you will be loved
- What the dialogue meant and how it lasted
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 1 h 43 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Gerone in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Italiano
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
The tyrant enjoys the senses less
Simonides opens gently. He says that Hiero must know both ways of living, so he can say honestly how they differ in joy and pain. Hiero agrees that he knows both, and he answers that the ruler has the worse of it. Then he goes through the senses one by one.
Take sights and sounds, he says. A private man can travel to festivals, watch games and see the wonders of other cities. A tyrant seldom goes abroad, because he is not safe among crowds he cannot control. Praise is the sweetest sound, yet the tyrant hears little honest praise, and he hears plenty of criticism whispered in secret. What reaches his ears is flattery, and he knows it.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
Xenophon
430 BC–353 BC · Ancient Greek historian and philosopher
Greek philosopher, historian, and soldier.
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More like this
Free
Free
Free
Free
FreeOur mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Gerone
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is Hiero by Xenophon about?
It is a dialogue in which the poet Simonides asks the tyrant Hiero of Syracuse whether a ruler or a private citizen is happier. Hiero describes the fears of tyranny, and Simonides then advises how a ruler can win his people's goodwill.
Who are Hiero and Simonides?
Hiero was a ruler of Syracuse in Sicily in the fifth century BC. Simonides of Ceos was a famous Greek poet who is said to have lived at his court. Xenophon uses them as speakers.
Is Hiero a true conversation?
Both men were real, but the conversation is Xenophon's own invention, written in the fourth century BC. He uses the two figures to present his ideas about power, fear and good government.
Popular in philosophy & ideas
See all
Free
Free
Free
