Wherefore， O judges， be good cheer about death， and know of a certainty， that no evil can happen to a good man， either in life or after death. He and his are not neglected by the gods nor has my own approaching end happened by mere chance. But I see clearly that the time had arrived when it was better for me to die and be released from trouble wherefore the oracle gave no sign. For which reason， also， I am not angry with my condemners， or with my accusers they have done me no harm， although they did not mean to do me any good and for this I may gently blame them.
Still I have a favor to ask of them. When my sons are grown up， I would ask you， O my friends， to punish them and I would have you trouble them， as I have troubled you， if they seem to care about riches， or anything， more than about virtue； or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing， — then reprove them， as I have reproved you， for not caring about that for which they ought to care and thinking that they are something when they are really nothing. And if you do this， both I and my sons will have received justice at your hands.
The hour of departure has arrived， and we go our ways — I to die， and you to live. Which is better God only knows.
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如果换一种方式来思考，我们就会发现我们完全有理由相信死亡是件好事；而我们的理由就在于死亡只有两种可能性——一种是进入虚无或者彻底无知觉的状态，另一种是人们常说的灵魂从一个世界移居到另一个世界。假如你认为死亡是一种失去知觉的状态，就像一种安详得连梦都不会来打搅的沉睡，那么死亡就真是一种难以言说的收获了。如果要某人将这样一个安然无梦的夜晚，与生命中度过的其他日日夜夜相比，然后说出他一生中有多少日夜能比这样的夜晚更加愉快，我想，任何人——且不说是平民，就是国王也无法做出回答。所以我说，如果死亡果真如此，那么死亡就是一种收获——永恒也不过就是一夜。