the character of thy frequent thoughts,[1] for the soul takes its dye from the thoughts. Dye her then with a continuous succession of such thoughts as these: Where life is possible, there it is possible also to live well.—But the life is life in a Court.[2] Well, in a Court too it is possible to live well. And again: A thing is drawn towards that for the sake of which it has been made, and its end lies in that towards which it is drawn and, where its end lies, there lie also its interest and its good. The Good, then, for a rational creature is fellowship with others.[3] For it has been made clear long ago[4] that we were constituted for fellowship. Or was it not obvious that the lower were for the sake of the higher[5] and the higher for the sake of one another? And living things are higher than lifeless,[6] and those that have reason than those that have life only.
17. To crave impossibilities is lunacy; but it is impossible for the wicked to act otherwise.[7]
18. Nothing befalls anyone that he is not fitted by nature to bear.[8] Others experience the same things as thou, but either from ignorance that anything has befallen them, or to manifest their greatness of mind, they stand firm and get no hurt. A strange thing indeed that ignorance and vanity should prove stronger than wisdom![9]
19. Things of themselves cannot take the least hold of the Soul, nor have any access to her, nor deflect or move her; but the Soul alone deflects
- ↑ vii. 3; Sen. Ep. 95.
- ↑ viii. 9. cp. Sen. Ep. 28.
- ↑ ii. 1; iii. 4, § 1.
- ↑ ii. 1.
- ↑ vii. 55; xi. 18, § 1; Sen. Ep. 65 ad fin.
- ↑ cp. Chrysippus: τὸ ζῷον τοῦ μὴ ζῴου κρεῖττον.
- ↑ iv. 6; vii. 71; xi. 18 ad fin.; Sen. de Ira ii. 31.
- ↑ viii. 46; x. 3; St. Paul, 1 Cor. x. 13.
- ↑ cp. Sen. Ep. 36 ad fin.: turpissimum si eam securitatem nobis ratio non praestat, ad quam stultitia perducit.
