# Solon explained — The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers > Chapter companion for The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius. ## What happens This chapter details the life and reforms of Solon, the Athenian lawgiver. It covers his introduction of debt relief (the seisachtheia), his recapture of Salamis through a ruse of feigned madness, his refusal to become tyrant despite popular support, his warnings against Pisistratus, and his subsequent voluntary exile. The chapter also includes his letters, poems, maxims, and his famous encounter with Croesus regarding happiness. ## Themes in this chapter ### Political Engagement and Tyranny Solon actively resisted the rise of Pisistratus, choosing exile over complicity, and advised Periander on the dangers of tyranny. ### Virtue and Self-Sufficiency Solon valued justice and democracy over wealth or power, as seen in his refusal to become tyrant and his preference for a life under equal laws. ### Death and Legacy The chapter describes Solon's death in Cyprus, his instructions to scatter his ashes over Salamis, and the enduring fame of his laws and poems. ## Character check-ins ### Solon The central figure of the chapter; Athenian lawgiver who introduced debt relief, recaptured Salamis, and resisted tyranny. ### Pisistratus Relative and future tyrant of Athens; Solon warned the Athenians about his ambitions. ### Croesus King of Lydia; Solon visited him and famously discussed the nature of happiness. ### Epimenides Recipient of a letter from Solon discussing the limitations of lawgivers and divine aid. ### Periander Tyrant of Corinth; Solon wrote to him advising caution and the use of foreign mercenaries. ### Mimnermus Poet rebuked by Solon for a verse about dying at sixty; Solon advocated for a longer lifespan. ## Key lines > Consider your honor, as a gentleman, of more weight than an oath. Never speak falsely. Pay attention to matters of importance. Be not hasty in making friends; and do not cast off those whom you have made. Rule, after you have first learnt to submit to rule. Advise not what is most agreeable, but what is best. Make reason your guide. Do not associate with the wicked. Honor the gods; respect your parents. Solon advised that a person's integrity should be valued above any oath; one should always tell the truth, focus on important matters, be deliberate in choosing friends and loyal to them, learn to obey before commanding, give advice that is good rather than pleasing, follow reason, avoid evil company, and show reverence to the gods and parents. _A collection of Solon's moral and practical maxims, as recorded by Apollodorus._ > Ye men of Athens, I am wiser than some of you, and braver than others. Wiser than those of you who do not perceive the treachery of Pisistratus; and braver than those who are aware of it, but out of fear hold their peace. Solon declared to the Athenian assembly that he was wiser than those who failed to see Pisistratus's plot, and braver than those who saw it but remained silent out of fear. _Solon's public warning against the rising tyranny of Pisistratus._ > Fierce snow and hail are from the clouds borne down, And thunder after brilliant lightning roars; And by its own great men a city falls, The ignorant mob becoming slaves to kings. Just as storms follow natural signs, a city is destroyed by its own prominent citizens, and the ignorant populace ends up enslaved to a tyrant. _Elegiac verses by Solon predicting the tyranny of Pisistratus._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/chapters/solon - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/chapters