Les quatre traités réunis ici - Avoir beaucoup d'amis ? , Ne pas confondre le flatteur et l'ami , Tirer profit de ses ennemis , Écouter - ont pour thème la relation à l'autre et la bonne façon de communiquer avec lui.
Plutarch (later named, upon becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus; AD 46–AD 120) was a Greek historian, biographer, and essayist, known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia. He is classified as a Middle Platonist. Plutarch's surviving works were written in Greek, but intended for both Greek and Roman readers.