Full Idea
A dung-basket is fine, and a golden shield contemptible, if the one is finely and the other badly constructed for carrying out its function.
Gist of Idea
A well-made dung basket is fine, and a badly-made gold shield is base, because of function
Source
report of Socrates (reports of career [c.420 BCE]) by Xenophon - Memorabilia of Socrates 3.8.6
Book Reference
Xenophon: 'Conversations of Socrates', ed/tr. Waterfield,R/Tredennick,H. [Penguin 1990], p.159
A Reaction
This is the basis of a key idea in Aristotle, that virtue (or excellence) arises directly from function. I think it is the most important idea in virtue theory, and seems to have struck most Greeks as being self-evident.