[sc. It is on record that] as Pittakos was laying aside his authority, he said to those who were amazed, "It is difficult to be noble."[1] [Also that] Solon, recognizing his weakness, said, "Excellent things are difficult."[2] For this reason both sayings have become proverbial.
"Excellent things are difficult": they say that Periander of Corinth in the beginning was a popular leader, but later he changed his political loyalty and became tyrannical. From this comes the proverb. But some take "difficult" as meaning "impossible," since even he was unable to maintain his own resolve.