DioLiu/Test1 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Love that only which happens to thee and is spun with the thread of
thy destiny. For what is more suitable?

In everything which happens keep before thy eyes those to whom the
same things happened, and how they were vexed, and treated them as
strange things, and found fault with them: and now where are they?
Nowhere. Why then dost thou too choose to act in the same way? And
why dost thou not leave these agitations which are foreign to nature,
to those who cause them and those who are moved by them? And why art
thou not altogether intent upon the right way of making use of the
things which happen to thee? For then thou wilt use them well, and
they will be a material for thee to work on. Only attend to thyself,
and resolve to be a good man in every act which thou doest: and remember...

Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble
up, if thou wilt ever dig.

The body ought to be compact, and to show no irregularity either in
motion or attitude. For what the mind shows in the face by maintaining
in it the expression of intelligence and propriety, that ought to
be required also in the whole body. But all of these things should
be observed without affectation.

The art of life is more like the wrestler's art than the dancer's,
in respect of this, that it should stand ready and firm to meet onsets
which are sudden and unexpected.

Constantly observe who those are whose approbation thou wishest to
have, and what ruling principles they possess. For then thou wilt
neither blame those who offend involuntarily, nor wilt thou want their
approbation, if thou lookest to the sources of their opinions and
appetites.

Every soul, the philosopher says, is involuntarily deprived of truth;
consequently in the same way it is deprived of justice and temperance
and benevolence and everything of the kind. It is most necessary to
bear this constantly in mind, for thus thou wilt be more gentle towards
all.

In every pain let this thought be present, that there is no dishonour
in it, nor does it make the governing intelligence worse, for it does
not damage the intelligence either so far as the intelligence is rational
or so far as it is social. Indeed in the case of most pains let this
remark of Epicurus aid thee, that pain is neither intolerable nor
everlasting, if thou bearest in mind that it has its limits, and if
thou addest nothing to it in imagination: and remember this too, that
we do not perceive that many things which are disagreeable to us are
the same as pain, such as excessive drowsiness, and the being scorched
by heat, and the having no appetite. When then thou art discontented
about any of these things, say to thyself, that thou art yielding
to pain.

Take care not to feel towards the inhuman, as they feel towards men.

How do we know if Telauges was not superior in character to Socrates?
For it is not enough that Socrates died a more noble death, and disputed
more skilfully with the sophists, and passed the night in the cold
with more endurance, and that when he was bid to arrest Leon of Salamis,
he considered it more noble to refuse, and that he walked in a swaggering
way in the streets- though as to this fact one may have great doubts
if it was true. But we ought to inquire, what kind of a soul it was
that Socrates possessed, and if he was able to be content with being
just towards men and pious towards the gods, neither idly vexed on
account of men's villainy, nor yet making himself a slave to any man's
ignorance, nor receiving as strange anything that fell to his share
out of the universal, nor enduring it as intolerable, nor allowing
his understanding to sympathize with the affects of the miserable
flesh.

Nature has not so mingled the intelligence with the composition of
the body, as not to have allowed thee the power of circumscribing
thyself and of bringing under subjection to thyself all that is thy
own; for it is very possible to be a divine man and to be recognised
as such by no one. Always bear this in mind; and another thing too,
that very little indeed is necessary for living a happy life. And
because thou hast despaired of becoming a dialectician and skilled
in the knowledge of nature, do not for this reason renounce the hope
of being both free and modest and social and obedient to God.

It is in thy power to live free from all compulsion in the greatest
tranquility of mind, even if all the world cry out against thee as
much as they choose, and even if wild beasts tear in pieces the members
of this kneaded matter which has grown around thee. For what hinders
the mind in the midst of all this from maintaining itself in tranquility
and in a just judgement of all surrounding things and in a ready use
of the objects which are presented to it, so that the judgement may
say to the thing which falls under its observation: This thou art
in substance (reality), though in men's opinion thou mayest appear
to be of a different kind; and the use shall say to that which falls
under the hand: Thou art the thing that I was seeking; for to me that
which presents itself is always a material for virtue both rational
and political, and in a word, for the exercise of art, which belongs
to man or God. For everything which happens has a relationship either
to God or man, and is neither new nor difficult to handle, but usual
and apt matter to work on.

The perfection of moral character consists in this, in passing every
day as the last, and in being neither violently excited nor torpid
nor playing the hypocrite.

Love that only which happens to thee and is spun with the thread of

thy destiny. For what is more suitable?

In everything which happens keep before thy eyes those to whom the

same things happened, and how they were vexed, and treated them as

strange things, and found fault with them: and now where are they?

Nowhere. Why then dost thou too choose to act in the same way? And

why dost thou not leave these agitations which are foreign to nature,

to those who cause them and those who are moved by them? And why art

thou not altogether intent upon the right way of making use of the

things which happen to thee? For then thou wilt use them well, and

they will be a material for thee to work on. Only attend to thyself,

and resolve to be a good man in every act which thou doest: and remember...

Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble

up, if thou wilt ever dig.

The body ought to be compact, and to show no irregularity either in

motion or attitude. For what the mind shows in the face by maintaining

in it the expression of intelligence and propriety, that ought to

be required also in the whole body. But all of these things should

be observed without affectation.

The art of life is more like the wrestler's art than the dancer's,

in respect of this, that it should stand ready and firm to meet onsets

which are sudden and unexpected.

Constantly observe who those are whose approbation thou wishest to

have, and what ruling principles they possess. For then thou wilt

neither blame those who offend involuntarily, nor wilt thou want their

approbation, if thou lookest to the sources of their opinions and

appetites.

Every soul, the philosopher says, is involuntarily deprived of truth;

consequently in the same way it is deprived of justice and temperance

and benevolence and everything of the kind. It is most necessary to

bear this constantly in mind, for thus thou wilt be more gentle towards

all.

In every pain let this thought be present, that there is no dishonour

in it, nor does it make the governing intelligence worse, for it does

not damage the intelligence either so far as the intelligence is rational

or so far as it is social. Indeed in the case of most pains let this

remark of Epicurus aid thee, that pain is neither intolerable nor

everlasting, if thou bearest in mind that it has its limits, and if

thou addest nothing to it in imagination: and remember this too, that

we do not perceive that many things which are disagreeable to us are

the same as pain, such as excessive drowsiness, and the being scorched

by heat, and the having no appetite. When then thou art discontented

about any of these things, say to thyself, that thou art yielding

to pain.

Take care not to feel towards the inhuman, as they feel towards men.

How do we know if Telauges was not superior in character to Socrates?

For it is not enough that Socrates died a more noble death, and disputed

more skilfully with the sophists, and passed the night in the cold

with more endurance, and that when he was bid to arrest Leon of Salamis,

he considered it more noble to refuse, and that he walked in a swaggering

way in the streets- though as to this fact one may have great doubts

if it was true. But we ought to inquire, what kind of a soul it was

that Socrates possessed, and if he was able to be content with being

just towards men and pious towards the gods, neither idly vexed on

account of men's villainy, nor yet making himself a slave to any man's

ignorance, nor receiving as strange anything that fell to his share

out of the universal, nor enduring it as intolerable, nor allowing

his understanding to sympathize with the affects of the miserable

flesh.

Nature has not so mingled the intelligence with the composition of

the body, as not to have allowed thee the power of circumscribing

thyself and of bringing under subjection to thyself all that is thy

own; for it is very possible to be a divine man and to be recognised

as such by no one. Always bear this in mind; and another thing too,

that very little indeed is necessary for living a happy life. And

because thou hast despaired of becoming a dialectician and skilled

in the knowledge of nature, do not for this reason renounce the hope

of being both free and modest and social and obedient to God.

It is in thy power to live free from all compulsion in the greatest

tranquility of mind, even if all the world cry out against thee as

much as they choose, and even if wild beasts tear in pieces the members

of this kneaded matter which has grown around thee. For what hinders

the mind in the midst of all this from maintaining itself in tranquility

and in a just judgement of all surrounding things and in a ready use

of the objects which are presented to it, so that the judgement may

say to the thing which falls under its observation: This thou art

in substance (reality), though in men's opinion thou mayest appear

to be of a different kind; and the use shall say to that which falls

under the hand: Thou art the thing that I was seeking; for to me that

which presents itself is always a material for virtue both rational

and political, and in a word, for the exercise of art, which belongs

to man or God. For everything which happens has a relationship either

to God or man, and is neither new nor difficult to handle, but usual

and apt matter to work on.

The perfection of moral character consists in this, in passing every

day as the last, and in being neither violently excited nor torpid

nor playing the hypocrite.