DioLiu/Test1 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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continual sight of the same things and the uniformity make the spectacle
wearisome, so it is in the whole of life; for all things above, below,
are the same and from the same. How long then?

Think continually that all kinds of men and of all kinds of pursuits
and of all nations are dead, so that thy thoughts come down even to
Philistion and Phoebus and Origanion. Now turn thy thoughts to the
other kinds of men. To that place then we must remove, where there
are so many great orators, and so many noble philosophers, Heraclitus,
Pythagoras, Socrates; so many heroes of former days, and so many generals
after them, and tyrants; besides these, Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Archimedes,
and other men of acute natural talents, great minds, lovers of labour,
versatile, confident, mockers even of the perishable and ephemeral
life of man, as Menippus and such as are like him. As to all these
consider that they have long been in the dust. What harm then is this
to them; and what to those whose names are altogether unknown? One
thing here is worth a great deal, to pass thy life in truth and justice,
with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men.

When thou wishest to delight thyself, think of the virtues of those
who live with thee; for instance, the activity of one, and the modesty
of another, and the liberality of a third, and some other good quality
of a fourth. For nothing delights so much as the examples of the virtues,
when they are exhibited in the morals of those who live with us and
present themselves in abundance, as far as is possible. Wherefore
we must keep them before us.

Thou art not dissatisfied, I suppose, because thou weighest only so
many litrae and not three hundred. Be not dissatisfied then that thou
must live only so many years and not more; for as thou art satisfied
with the amount of substance which has been assigned to thee, so be
content with the time.

Let us try to persuade them (men). But act even against their will,
when the principles of justice lead that way. If however any man by
using force stands in thy way, betake thyself to contentment and tranquility,
and at the same time employ the hindrance towards the exercise of
some other virtue; and remember that thy attempt was with a reservation,
that thou didst not desire to do impossibilities. What then didst
thou desire?- Some such effort as this.- But thou attainest thy object,
if the things to which thou wast moved are accomplished.

He who loves fame considers another man's activity to be his own good;
and he who loves pleasure, his own sensations; but he who has understanding,
considers his own acts to be his own good.

It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be
disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power
to form our judgements.

Accustom thyself to attend carefully to what is said by another, and
as much as it is possible, be in the speaker's mind.

That which is not good for the swarm, neither is it good for the bee.

If sailors abused the helmsman or the sick the doctor, would they
listen to anybody else; or how could the helmsman secure the safety
of those in the ship or the doctor the health of those whom he attends?

How many together with whom I came into the world are already gone
out of it.

To the jaundiced honey tastes bitter, and to those bitten by mad dogs
water causes fear; and to little children the ball is a fine thing.
Why then am I angry? Dost thou think that a false opinion has less
power than the bile in the jaundiced or the poison in him who is bitten
by a mad dog?

No man will hinder thee from living according to the reason of thy
own nature: nothing will happen to thee contrary to the reason of
the universal nature.

What kind of people are those whom men wish to please, and for what
objects, and by what kind of acts? How soon will time cover all things,
and how many it has covered already.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

BOOK SEVEN

What is badness? It is that which thou hast often seen. And on the
occasion of everything which happens keep this in mind, that it is
that which thou hast often seen. Everywhere up and down thou wilt
find the same things, with which the old histories are filled, those
of the middle ages and those of our own day; with which cities and
houses are filled now. There is nothing new: all things are both familiar
and short-lived.

How can our principles become dead, unless the impressions (thoughts)
which correspond to them are extinguished? But it is in thy power
continuously to fan these thoughts into a flame. I can have that opinion
about anything, which I ought to have. If I can, why am I disturbed?
The things which are external to my mind have no relation at all to
my mind.- Let this be the state of thy affects, and thou standest
erect. To recover thy life is in thy power. Look at things again as
thou didst use to look at them; for in this consists the recovery
of thy life.

The idle business of show, plays on the stage, flocks of sheep, herds,
exercises with spears, a bone cast to little dogs, a bit of bread

continual sight of the same things and the uniformity make the spectacle

wearisome, so it is in the whole of life; for all things above, below,

are the same and from the same. How long then?

Think continually that all kinds of men and of all kinds of pursuits

and of all nations are dead, so that thy thoughts come down even to

Philistion and Phoebus and Origanion. Now turn thy thoughts to the

other kinds of men. To that place then we must remove, where there

are so many great orators, and so many noble philosophers, Heraclitus,

Pythagoras, Socrates; so many heroes of former days, and so many generals

after them, and tyrants; besides these, Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Archimedes,

and other men of acute natural talents, great minds, lovers of labour,

versatile, confident, mockers even of the perishable and ephemeral

life of man, as Menippus and such as are like him. As to all these

consider that they have long been in the dust. What harm then is this

to them; and what to those whose names are altogether unknown? One

thing here is worth a great deal, to pass thy life in truth and justice,

with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men.

When thou wishest to delight thyself, think of the virtues of those

who live with thee; for instance, the activity of one, and the modesty

of another, and the liberality of a third, and some other good quality

of a fourth. For nothing delights so much as the examples of the virtues,

when they are exhibited in the morals of those who live with us and

present themselves in abundance, as far as is possible. Wherefore

we must keep them before us.

Thou art not dissatisfied, I suppose, because thou weighest only so

many litrae and not three hundred. Be not dissatisfied then that thou

must live only so many years and not more; for as thou art satisfied

with the amount of substance which has been assigned to thee, so be

content with the time.

Let us try to persuade them (men). But act even against their will,

when the principles of justice lead that way. If however any man by

using force stands in thy way, betake thyself to contentment and tranquility,

and at the same time employ the hindrance towards the exercise of

some other virtue; and remember that thy attempt was with a reservation,

that thou didst not desire to do impossibilities. What then didst

thou desire?- Some such effort as this.- But thou attainest thy object,

if the things to which thou wast moved are accomplished.

He who loves fame considers another man's activity to be his own good;

and he who loves pleasure, his own sensations; but he who has understanding,

considers his own acts to be his own good.

It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be

disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power

to form our judgements.

Accustom thyself to attend carefully to what is said by another, and

as much as it is possible, be in the speaker's mind.

That which is not good for the swarm, neither is it good for the bee.

If sailors abused the helmsman or the sick the doctor, would they

listen to anybody else; or how could the helmsman secure the safety

of those in the ship or the doctor the health of those whom he attends?

How many together with whom I came into the world are already gone

out of it.

To the jaundiced honey tastes bitter, and to those bitten by mad dogs

water causes fear; and to little children the ball is a fine thing.

Why then am I angry? Dost thou think that a false opinion has less

power than the bile in the jaundiced or the poison in him who is bitten

by a mad dog?

No man will hinder thee from living according to the reason of thy

own nature: nothing will happen to thee contrary to the reason of

the universal nature.

What kind of people are those whom men wish to please, and for what

objects, and by what kind of acts? How soon will time cover all things,

and how many it has covered already.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

BOOK SEVEN

What is badness? It is that which thou hast often seen. And on the

occasion of everything which happens keep this in mind, that it is

that which thou hast often seen. Everywhere up and down thou wilt

find the same things, with which the old histories are filled, those

of the middle ages and those of our own day; with which cities and

houses are filled now. There is nothing new: all things are both familiar

and short-lived.

How can our principles become dead, unless the impressions (thoughts)

which correspond to them are extinguished? But it is in thy power

continuously to fan these thoughts into a flame. I can have that opinion

about anything, which I ought to have. If I can, why am I disturbed?

The things which are external to my mind have no relation at all to

my mind.- Let this be the state of thy affects, and thou standest

erect. To recover thy life is in thy power. Look at things again as

thou didst use to look at them; for in this consists the recovery

of thy life.

The idle business of show, plays on the stage, flocks of sheep, herds,

exercises with spears, a bone cast to little dogs, a bit of bread