The following paragraphs, of unknown authorship, are generally agreed to be from a sophistic treatise of the late fifth or early fourth century. The work gets its title (lit. “The Anonymous Author of Iamblichus”,) from the fact that it is embedded in a work by the fourth-century ce Neoplatonic philosopher Iamblichus. Iamblichus' work, entitled Protrepticus or Exhortation to Philosophy, quotes many passages from earlier authors. The style of these paragraphs is typical of the sophistic period and the subject matter also clearly belongs to the same period.

1. [1] Whatever goal anyone wishes to attain with the very best results – wisdom, courage, eloquence, or aretē (either as a whole or in part) – he will be able to succeed given the following conditions. [2] First, one must have natural ability, and this is granted by fortune (tuchē). The other things are in the person's own hands: he must be eager for beauty (kalon) and goodness (agathon) and willing to work hard, beginning his studies very early and seeing them through to the end over a long period of time. [3] If even one of these is absent, it is impossible to reach the highest goal in the end; but if any human being has all these things, he will be unsurpassed in whatever pursuits he undertakes.