كان لألكيبيادس كلبٌ وسيمٌ جدًا كلّفه سبعة آلاف دراخمة، فقطع ذيله، وقال: «ليتحدّث الأثينيون بهذه الحكاية عنّي، ولينشغلوا بي بعد ذلك بما هو أقلّ

“Alcibiades had a very handsome dog, that cost him seven thousand drachmas; and he cut off his tail, "that," said he, "the Athenians may have this story to tell of me, and may concern themselves no further with me.”Plutarch — Plutarch's Morals (1871)