In one famous example , he advises Alexander to be ' a leader to the Greeks and a despot to the barbarians , to look after the former as after friends and relatives , and to deal with the latter as with beasts or plants ' . In one famous example , he counsels Alexander to be ' a leader to the Greeks and a despot to the barbarians , to look after the former as after friends and relatives , and to deal with the latter as with beasts or plants ' .