A life of Intelligence is conceivable without either pain or pleasure; this is the choice of the Wise man, and is the nature of the gods.

Desire is a mixed state, and comprehends body and mind.

Much stress is laid on the moderate and tranquil pleasures; the intense pleasures, coveted by mankind, belong to a distempered rather than a healthy state; they are false and delusive.

Pleasure is, by its nature, a change or transition, and cannot be a supreme end.

The mixture of Pleasure and Intelligence is to be adjusted by the all-important principle of Measure or Proportion, which connects the Good with the Beautiful.
A decided asceticism is the ethical tendency of this dialogue.