τὸν Ὀλυμπίασι στέφανον ἴστε δήπουθεν ἐλάϊνον ὄντα, καὶτοῦτον πολλοὶ 
προτετιμήκασι τοῦ ζῆν, οὐχὶ τῆς ἐκεῖ φυομένης ἐλαίας ἐχούσης τι θαυμαστόν, 
ἀλλ´ ὅτι μὴ ῥᾳδίως μηδ´ ἐπὶ μικρῷ δίδοται. τοιγαροῦν ἔγγιστα {ἐφ´ ἡμῶν}, ὡς 
ἐπίστασθε, τῶν αὐτοκρατόρων τις οὕτω σφόδρα ἡττήθη τοῦ πράγματος καὶ 
ἐπεθύμησε τῆς ἐκεῖ νίκης ὥστε καὶ ἀγωνίσασθαι παρ´ Ἠλείοις, καὶ τοῦτον ὅρον
ἡγήσασθαι τῆς εὐδαιμονίας. εἰ δέ γε πάντας ἐστεφάνουν τοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν 
ἀφικνουμένους τῶν ἡγουμένων, τίνα ἂν ζῆλον ἢ ποίαν ἔτι δόξαν ἔσχεν ὁ 
στέφανος; (31,111) ἀλλὰ ἐκείνους γέ φασι μηδὲ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς λύειν, 
ἃς ἂν γράψωσι τῶν ἀθλητῶν τινα συνιστάντες, πρὶν ἢ ἀγωνίσηται. καὶ τοῦτο 
οὐδένα πώποτε αὐτοῖς ἤνεγκε κίνδυνον, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον τιμὴν καὶ ἔπαινον τῷ 
δοκεῖν ἀξίους εἶναι βραβεύειν τὸν ἀγῶνα.
 

You doubtless know that the Olympian crown is olive leaves, and yet this honour 
many people have preferred to life itself, not because there is anything wonderful 
about the olive that grows there, but because it is not given carelessly or for slight 
achievement. This explains why very recently, in our own time, one of the emperors, 
as you know, was so taken with this practice and was so eager to win the victory that 
he actually competed at the Elean festival and considered this the height of 
happiness.  But if it had been their custom to crown all the potentates that came to 
the spectacle, what emulation would the crown any longer have aroused and what 
sort of glory would it have won? On the contrary, they say that the Eleans do not 
even open the letters 111 written by those who would recommend a particular 
athlete, until he has competed. And this has never brought upon them any risk of 
harm, but, on the contrary, honour and applause, because they are considered 
worthy to supervise the games.

Trad. anglaise : J.W. COHOON - H. Lamar CROSBY, Dio Chrysostom.  Vol. II. London, Heinemann, 1939