-001_About Art of Living.htm
How do I live a happy, meaningful, and flourishing life? How can I be both noble and effective person?
How do I live a happy, meaningful, and flourishing life?
How can I be both noble and effective person?
Answering these bedrock questions was the single-minded passion of Epictetus, the venerable philosopher who was born a slave about A.D.55 in the eastern outreaches of the Roman Empire.
One of the wittiest and wisest teachers who ever lived, Epictetus observed that everyday life, no matter what our personal circumstances are, is fraught with difficulty. Still, the life of virtue is within the reach of everyone.
The razor-sharp instructions that make up The Art of Living encapsulate the essence of a time-tested philosophy whose reward is unwavering, clear-sighted contentment. By putting into practice Epictetus’s practical guidance, readers will immediately feel a lighter heart and the dawning of invincible inner strength.
This esteemed philosopher’s invaluable insights are here presented by Sharon Lebell for the first time in a splendidly down-to-earth and lively rendition.
The Art of Living is more than mere lessons in coping with the ups and downs of life, but a coherent, elegant system that, if sincerely practiced, instills enduring serenity and moves us gently but steadily toward our highest selves. As both touchstone and guide, The Art of Living is as helpful now as it was in the first.
Epictetus (A.D. 55-A.D. 135) taught in Rome until the year 94, when Emperor Domitian banished philosophers from the city. In exile, he established his school of philosophy where his distinguished students included Marcus Aurelius, author of the Meditations.
Epictetus nevertheless staunchly believed in the necessity of training for the gradual refinement of personal characters and behavior. Moral progress is not the natural province of the highborn, nor is it achieved by accident or luck, but by working on yourself – daily.
He considered himself successful when his ideas were easily grasped and put to use in someone’s real life, where they could actually do some good elevating that person’s character.
Epictetus walked his talk:
Epictetus believed that the primary job of philosophy is to help ordinary people effectively meet the everyday challenges of daily life, and to deal with life’s inevitable major losses, disappointments, and griefs. His was a moral teaching stripped of sentimentality, piousness, and metaphysical mumbo-jumbo.
First, say to yourself what you would be; Then do what you have to do.
-002_The Souls Cry.htm
Philosophy’s main task is to respond to the soul’s cry; to make sense of and thereby free ourselves from the hold of our griefs and fears.
Philosophy calls us when we’ve reached the end of our rope. The insistent feeling that something is not right with our lives and the longing to be restored to our better selves will not go away.
-003_No Shame No Blame.htm
Small-minded people habitually reproached others for their own misfortunes. Average people reproach themselves. Those who are dedicated to a life of wisdom understand that the impulse to blame something or someone is foolishness, that there is nothing to be gained in blaming, whether it be others or oneself.
-004_No One Can Hurt You.htm
People don’t have the power to hurt you. Even if someone shouts abuse at you or strikes you, if you are insulted, it is always your choice to view what is happening as insulting or not. If someone irritates you, it is only your own response that is irritating you. Therefore, when anyone seems to be provoking you, remember that it is only your judgment of the incident that provokes you. Don’t let your emotions get ignited by mere appearances.
Try not to merely react in the moment. Pull back from the situation. Take a wider view; compose yourself.
-005_The Right Use of Books.htm
Don’t just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.
-006_Create Your Own Merit.htm
Never depend on the admiration of others. There is no strength in it. Personal merit cannot be derived from an external source. It is not to be found in your personal associates, nor can it be found in the regard of other people. It is a fact of life that other people, even people who love you, will not necessarily agree with your ideas, understand you, or share your enthusiasms. Grow up! Who cares what other people think about you!
Create your own merit.
Make the most of what you’ve got, what is actually yours.
You can be justifiably happy with yourself and at ease when you’ve harmonized your actions with nature by recognizing what truly is your own.
-007_Be a Citizen of the World.htm
One cannot pursue one’s own highest good without at the same time necessarily promoting the good of others. A life based on narrow self-interest cannot be esteemed by any honorable measurement. Seeking the very best in ourselves mean actively caring for the welfare of other human beings. Our human contract is not with the few people with whom our affairs are most immediately intertwined, nor to the prominent, rich, or well educated, but to all our human brethren.
View yourself as a citizen of a worldwide community and act accordingly.
-008_Stick with Your Own Business.htm
Keep your attention focused entirely on what is truly your own concern, and be clear that what belongs to others is their business and none of yours. If you do this, you will be impervious to coercion and no one can ever hold you back. You will be truly free and effective, for your efforts will be put to good use and won’t be foolishly squandered finding fault with or opposing others.
-009_Conduct Yourself with Dignity.htm
No matter where you find yourself, comport yourself as if you were distinguished person.
While the behavior of many people is dictated by what is going on around them, hold yourself to a higher standard. Take care to avoid parties or games where thoughtless revelry and carousing are the norm. If you find yourself at a public event, remain rooted in your own purposes and ideals.
-010_Speak Only with Good Purpose.htm
So much attention is given to the moral importance of our deeds and their effects. Those who seek to live the higher life also come to understand the oft-ignored moral power of our words.
One of the clearest marks of the moral life is right speech. Perfecting our speech is one of the keystones of an authentic spiritual program.
First and foremost, think before you speak to make sure you are speaking with good purpose.
If need be, be mostly silent or speak sparingly. Speech itself is neither good nor evil, but it is so commonly used carelessly that you need to be on your guard. Frivolous talk is hurtful talk; besides, it is unbecoming to be a chatterbox.
Enter into discussions when social or professional occasion calls for it, but be cautious that the spirit and intent of the discussion and its content remain worthy. Prattle is seductive. Stay out of its clutches.
It’s not necessary to restrict yourself to lofty subjects or philosophy all the time, but be aware that the common babbling that passes for worthwhile discussion has a corrosive effect on your higher purpose. When we blather about trivial things, we ourselves become trivial, for our attention gets taken up with trivialities. You become what you give your attention to.
We become small-minded if we engage in discussion about other people. In particular, avoid, blaming, praising, or comparing people.
Try whenever possible, if you notice the conversation around you decaying into palaver, to see if you can subtly lead the conversation back to more constructive subjects. If, however, you find yourself among indifferent strangers, you can simply remain silent.
Be of good humour and enjoy a good laugh when it is apt, but avoid the kind of unrestrained barroom laughter that easily degenerates into vulgarity or malevolence. Laugh with, but never laugh at.
If you can, avoid making idle promises whenever possible.
-011_Avoid Most Popular Entertainment.htm
Your life is too short and you have important things to do. Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you yourself don’t choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest. It is the easiest thing in the world to slide imperceptibly into vulgarity. But there’s no need for that to happen if you determine not to waste your time and attention on mindless pap.
-012_Make Full Use of What Happens to You.htm
Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. The trials we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths.
Prudent people look beyond the incident itself and seek to form the habit of putting it to good use.
On the occasion of an accidental event, don’t just react in a haphazard fashion: Remember to turn inward and ask what resources you have for dealing with it. Dig deeply. You possess strengths you might not realize you have. Find the right one. Use it.
If you encounter an attractive person, then self-restraint is the resource needed; if pain or weakness, then stamina; if verbal abuse, then patience.
As time goes by and you build on the habit of matching the appropriate inner resource to each incident, you will not tend to get carried away by life’s appearances. You will stop feeling over-whelmed so much of the time.
-013_The Pursuit of Wisdom Attracts Critics.htm
Those who pursue the higher life of wisdom, who seek to live by spiritual principles, must be prepared to be laughed at and condemned.
Many people who have progressively lowered their personal standards in an attempt to win social acceptance and life’s comforts bitterly resent those of philosophical bent who refuse to compromise their spiritual ideals and who seek to better themselves. Never live your life in reaction to these diminished souls. Be compassionate towards them, and at the same time hold to what you know is good.
When you begin your program of spiritual progress, chances are the people closest to you will accuse you of arrogance.
It is your job to comport yourself humbly and to consistently hew to your moral ideals. Cling to what you know in your heart is best. Then, if you are steadfast, the very people who ridiculed you will come to admire you.
If you allow the mean-spirited opinions of others to make you waver in your purpose, you incur a double shame.
-014_Clearly Define the Person You Want to Be.htm
Who exactly do you want to be? What kind of person do you want to be? What are your personal ideals? Whom do you admire? What are their special traits that you would make your own?
It’s time to stop, being vague. If you wish to be an extraordinary person, if you wish to be wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become. If you have daybook, write down who you’re trying to be, so that you can refer to this self-definition. Precisely describe the demeanor you want to adopt so that you may preserve it when you are by yourself or with other people.
-015_Never Casually Discuss Important Matters.htm
Take care not to casually discuss matters that are of great importance to you with people who are not important to you. Your affairs will become drained of preciousness. You undercut your own purposes when you do this. This is especially dangerous when you are in the early stages of an undertaking.
Other people feast like vultures on our ideas. They take it upon themselves to blithely interpret, judge, and twist what matters most of you, and your heart sinks. Let your ideas and plans incubate before you parade them in front of the naysayers and trivializers.
Most people only know how to respond to an idea by pouncing on its shortfalls rather than identifying its potential merits. Practice self-containment so that your enthusiasm won’t be frittered away.
-016_Harmonize Your Actions with the Way Life Is.htm
It is not so much what you are doing, but how you are doing it. When we properly understand and live by this principle, while difficulties will arise – for they are part of the divine order too – inner peace will still be possible.
-017_Be Grateful.htm
Practice having a grateful attitude and you will be happy. If you take a broad view of what befalls each person and appreciate the usefulness of things that happen, it is natural to give thanks to the Ultimate for everything that happens in the world.
-018_The Power of Habit.htm
Every habit and faculty is preserved and increased by its corresponding actions: the habit of walking makes us better walkers, regular running makes us better runners. It is the same regarding matters of the soul. Whenever you are angry, you increase your anger; you have increased a habit and added fuel to fire.
If you don’t want an angry temper, then don’t feed the habit. Give it nothing to help its increase.
-019_Start Living Your Ideas.htm
Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. Once you have determined the spiritual principles you wish to exemplify, abide by these rules as if it were indeed sinful to compromise them.
Don’t mind if others don’t share your convictions. How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be? Your nobler self cannot wait any longer.
Put your principles into practice – now. Stop the excuses and the procrastination. This is your life! You aren’t a child anymore. The sooner you set yourself to your spiritual program, the happier you will be. The longer you wait, the more you will be vulnerable to mediocrity and feel filled with shame and regret, because you know you are capable of better.
From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself. Separate yourself from the mob. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do – now.
-020_Safeguard Your Reason.htm
Just as when you walk you are careful not to step on a nail or injure your foot, you should similarly take the utmost care not to in any way impair the highest faculty of your mind. The virtuous life depends on reason first and foremost. If you safeguard your reason, it will safeguard you.
-021_Take Care of Your Body.htm
Respect your body’s needs. Give you body excellent care to promote its health and well being. Give it everything it absolutely requires, including healthy food and drink, dignified clothing, and a warm and comfortable home. Do not, however, use your body as an occasion for show or luxury.
-022_The Essence of Faithfulness.htm
The essence of faithfulness lies first in holding correct opinions and attitudes regarding the Ultimate. Remember that the divine order is intelligent and fundamentally good. Life is not a series of random, meaningless episodes, but an ordered, elegant whole that follows ultimately comprehensible laws.
The divine will exist and directs the universe with justice and goodness. Though it is not always apparent if you merely look at the surface of things, the universe we inhabit is the best possible universe.
Fix your resolve on expecting justice and goodness and order, and they will increasingly reveal themselves to you in all your affairs. Trust that there is a divine intelligence whose intentions direct the universe. Make it your utmost goal to steer your life in accordance with the will of divine order.
When you strive to conform your intentions and actions with the divine order, you don’t feel persecuted, helpless, confused, or resentful toward the circumstances of your life. You will feel strong, purposeful, and sure.
Faithfulness is not blind belief, it consists of steadfastly practicing the principle of shunning those things which are not within your control, leaving them to be worked out according to the natural system of responsibilities. Cease trying to anticipate or control events. Instead accept them with grace and intelligence.
It is impossible to remain faithful to your ordained purpose if you drift into imagining that those things outside your power are inherently good or evil. When this happens the habit of blaming outside factors for our lot of live inevitably sets in, and we lose ourselves in a negative spiral of envy, strife, disappointments, anger, and reproach. For by nature all creatures recoil from the things they think would do them harm and seek out and admire those things that seem good and helpful.
The second aspect of faithfulness is the importance of prudently observing the customs of your family, your country, and local community. Perform your community’s rituals with a pure heart without greed or extravagance. In doing so, you join the spiritual order of your people and further the ultimate aspirations of humanity.
Faithfulness is the antidote to bitterness and confusion. It confers the conviction that we are ready for anything the divine will intends for us. Your aim should be to view the world as an integrated whole, to faithfully incline your whole being toward the highest good, and to adopt the will of nature as your own.
-023_Forgive Over and Over Again.htm
Generally, we’re all doing the best we can.
When someone speaks to you curtly, disregards what you say, performs what seems to be a thoughtless gesture or even an outright evil act, thing to yourself, “If I were that person and had endured the same trials, borne the same heartbreaks, had the same parents, and so on, I probably would have done or said the same thing." We are not privy to the stories behind people’s actions, so we should be patient with others and suspend our judgment of them, recognizing the limits of our understanding. This does not mean we condone evil deeds or endorse the idea that different actions carry the same moral weight.
When people do not act as you would wish them to, exercise the muscles of your good nature by shrugging your shoulders and saying to yourself “Oh well". Then let the incident go.
Try, also, to be as kind to yourself as possible. Do not measure yourself against others or even against your ideal self. Human betterment is a gradual, two-steps-forward, one-step-back effort.
Forgive others for their misdeeds over and over again. This gesture fosters inner ease.
Forgive yourself over and over again. Then try to do better next time.
-024_Wisdom Depends on Vigilance.htm
Most people don’t realize that both help and harm come from within ourselves. Instead they look to externals, mesmerized by appearances.
Wise people, on the other hand, realize that we are the source of everything good or bad for us. They therefore don’t resort to blaming and accusing others. They aren’t driven to convince people they are worthy of special or distinguished.
If wise people experience challenges, the look to themselves; if they are commended by others, they quietly smile to themselves, unmoved; if they are slandered, they don’t feel the need to defend their name.
But they go about their actions with vigilance, assuming that all is well, yet not perfectly secure. They harmonize their desires with life as it is, and seek to avoid only the things that would prevent their ability to exercise their will properly. They exercise moderation in all their affairs. And if they seem ignorant or unsophisticated, it is of no concern to them. They know that they only have to watch out for themselves and the direction of their own desires.
-025_See Things for What They Are.htm
Circumstances do not rise to meet our expectations. Events happen as they do. People behave as they are. Embrace what you actually get.
When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it; you can either accept it or resent it.
What really frightens and dismays us is not external events themselves, but the way in which we think about them. It is not things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significance.
Stop scaring yourself with impetuous notions, with your reactive impressions if the way things are!
Things are not what we wish them to be nor what they seem to be. They are what they are.
-026_Don^t Be Angry at Wrongdoers.htm
The untrained response to robbers and thugs and to those who otherwise err is outrage and retribution. Wrongdoers need to be rightly understood to form the correct response to their behavior.
The appropriate response to bad deeds is pity for the perpetrators, since they have adopted unsound beliefs and are deprived of the most valuable human capacity: the ability to differentiate between what’s truly good and bad for them. Their original moral intuitions have been distorted, so they have no chance at inner serenity.
Whenever someone does something foolish, pity him rather than yield to hatred and anger as so many do.
We are only enraged at the foolish because we make idols of those things which such people take from us.
-027_The Real Purpose of Philosophy.htm
True philosophy doesn’t involve exotic rituals, mysterious liturgy, or quaint beliefs. Nor is it just abstract theorizing and analysis. It is, of course, the love of wisdom.
Philosophy is intended for everyone, and it is authentically practiced only by those who wed it with action in the world toward a better life for all.
Philosophy’s purpose is to illuminate the ways our soul has been infected by unsound beliefs, untrained tumultuous desires, and dubious life choices are preferences that are unworthy of us. Self-security applied with kindness is the main antidote. Besides rooting out the soul’s corruptions, the life of wisdom is also meant to stir us from our lassitude and move us in the direction of an energetic, cheerful life.
True happiness is a verb. It’s the ongoing dynamic performance of worthy deeds. The flourishing life, whose foundation is virtuous intention, is something we continually improvise, and in doing so our souls mature. Our life has usefulness to ourselves and to the people we touch.
We become philosophers to discover what is really true and what is merely the accidental result of flawed reasoning, recklessly acquired erroneous judgments, well-intentioned but misguided teachings of parents and teachers, and unexamined acculturation.
To ease our soul’s suffering, we engage in disciplined introspection in which we conduct thought-experiments to strengthen our ability to distinguish between wholesome and lazy, hurtful beliefs and habits.
-028_Conform Your Wishes to Reality.htm
For good or for ill, life and nature are governed by laws that we can’t change. The quicker we accept this, the more tranquil we can be.
Similarly, it is foolish to wish that an employee, relative, or friend be without fault. This is wishing to control things that you can’t truly control.
-029_What Is Important and What Isn^t.htm
This is our predicament: Over and over again, we lose sight of what is important and what isn’t.
We crave things over which we have no control, and are not satisfied by the things within our control.
We need to regularly stop and take stock; to sit down and determine within ourselves which things are worth valuing and which things are not; which risks are worth the cost and which are not. Even the most confusing or hurtful aspects of life can be made more tolerable by clear seeing and by choice.
-030_Events Are Impersonal and Indifferent.htm
When considering the future, remember that all situations unfold as they do regardless of how we feel about them. Our hopes and fears sway us, not events themselves.
In any events, however seemingly dire, there is nothing to prevent us from searching for its hidden opportunity. It is a failure of the imagination not to do so. But to seek out the opportunity in situations requires a great deal of courage, for most people around you will persist in interpreting events in the grossest terms: success or failure, good or bad, right or wrong. These simplistic, polarized categories obscure more creative – and useful – interpretations of events that are far more advantageous and interesting!
There is a place for prudent planning and for making provision for situations to come. Proper preparation for the future consists of forming good personal habits. This is done by actively pursuing the good in all the particulars of your daily life and by regularly examining your motives to make sure they are free of the shackles of fear, greed, and laziness. If you do this, you won’t be buffeted about by outside events.
What is a “good" event? What is a “bad" event? There is no such thing! What is a good person? The one who achieves tranquility by having formed the habit of asking on every occasion, “What is the right thing to do now?"
-031_Self Mastery Depends on Self Honesty.htm
Know first who you are and what you’re capable of. Just as nothing great is created instantly, the same goes for the perfecting of our talents and aptitudes. We are always learning, always growing. It is right to accept challenges. This is how we progress to the next level of intellectual, physical, or moral development. Still, don’t kid yourself: If you try to be something or someone you are not, you belittle your true self and end up not developing in those areas that you would have excelled at quite naturally.
Within the divine order, we each have our own special calling. Listen to yours and follow it faithfully.
-032_Be Careful About the Company You Keep.htm
Regardless of what others profess, they may not truly live by spiritual values. Be careful who you associate with. It is human to imitate the habits of those with whom we interact. We inadvertently adopt their interests, their opinions, their values, and their habit of interpreting events. Though many people mean well, they can just the same have a deleterious influence on you because they are undisciplined about what is worthy and what isn’t.
Just because some people are nice to you doesn’t means you should spend time with them. Just because they seek you out and are interested in you or your affairs doesn’t mean you should associate with them. Be selective about whom you take on as friends, colleagues, and neighbours. All of these people can affect your destiny. The world is full of agreeable and talented folk. The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. But remember that our moral influence is a two-way street, and we should thus make sure by our own thoughts, words, and deeds to be a positive influence on those we deal with. The real test of personal excellence lies in the attention we give to the often-neglected small details of our conduct.
Make it your business to draw out the best in others by being an exemplar yourself.
-033_Stay the Course, In Good Weather or Bad.htm
Regardless of what is going on around you, make the best of what is in your power, and take the rest as it occurs.
-034_Observe Proper Proportion and Moderation.htm
Through vigilance, we can forestall the tendency to excess.
Without moral training, we can be induced to excess. In the case of shoes, for instance, many people are tempted to buy fancy, exotic shoes when all is that is needed is comfortable, well-fitting, durable footwear.
Once we fall, however slightly, into immoderation, momentum gathers and we can be lost to whim.
-035_The Only Prosperous Life Is the Virtuous Life.htm
Virtue is our aim and purpose. The virtue that leads to enduring happiness is not a quid pro quo goodness. (I’ll be good “in order to" get something.) Goodness in and of itself is the practice and the reward.
Goodness isn’t ostentatious piety or shadowy good manners. It’s a lifelong series of subtle readjustments of our character. We fine-tune our thoughts, words, and deeds in a progressively wholesome direction. The virtue inheres in our intentions and our deeds, not in the results.
Why should be bother being good? To be good is to be happy; to be tranquil and worry-free. When you actively engage in gradually refining yourself, you retreat from your lazy ways of covering yourself or making excuses. Instead of feeling a persistent current of low-level shame, you move forward by using the creative possibilities of this moment, your current situation. You begin to fully inhabit this moment, instead of seeking escape or wishing that what is going on were otherwise. You move through your life by being thoroughly in it.
The virtuous life holds these as treasures: your own right action, your fidelity, honor, and decency.
Virtue is not a matter of degree, but an absolute.
-036_Exercise Caution When Mingling With Others.htm
One of two things will happen when you socialize with others. You either become like your companions, or you bring them over to your own ways. Just as when a dead coal contacts a live one, either the first will extinguish the last, or the last kindle the first. Great is the danger; so be circumspect on entering into personal associations, even and especially light-hearted ones.
Most of us do not possess sufficiently developed steadfastness to steer our companions to our own purpose, so we end up being carried along by the crowd. Our own values and ideals become fuzzy and tainted; our resolve is destabilized.
-037_Wisdom Is Revealed Through Action, Not Talk.htm
Don’t declare yourself to be a wise person or discuss your spiritual aspirations with people who won’t appreciate them. Show your character and your commitment to personal nobility through your actions.
-038_Know What You Can Control.htm
Know What You Can Control and What You Can’t
Happiness and freedom being with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not.
Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, desires, and the things that repel us. These areas are quite rightly our concern, because they are directly subject to our influence. We always have a choice about the contents and character of our inner lives.
Outside our control, however, are such things as what kind of body we have, whether we’re born into wealth or strike it rich, how we are regarded by others, and our status in society. We must remember that those things are externals and are therefore not our concern. Trying to control or to change what we can’t only results in torment.
Remember: The things within our power are naturally at our disposal, free from any restraint or hindrance; but those things outside our power are weak, dependent, or determined by the whims and actions of others. Remember, too, that if you think that you have free rein over things that are naturally beyond your control, or if you attempt to adopt the affairs of others as your own, your pursuits will be thwarted and you will become a frustrated, anxious, and faultfinding person.
-039_Events Don^t Hurt Us, But Our Views of Them Can.htm
Events Don’t Hurt Us, But Our Views of Them Can
Things themselves don’t hurt or hinder us. Nor do other people. How we view these things is another matter. It is our attitudes and reactions that give us trouble.
We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.
-040_Inner Excellence Matters More Than Outer Appearance.htm
Females are especially burdened by the attention they receive for their pleasing appearance. From the time they are young, they are flattered by males or evaluated only in terms of their outward appearance.
Unfortunately, this can make a woman feel suited only to give men pleasure, and her true inner gifts sadly atrophy. She may feel compelled to put great effort and time into enhancing her outer beauty and distorting her natural self to please others.
Sadly, many people – both men and women – place all their emphasis on managing their physical appearance and the impression they make on others.
Those who seek wisdom come to understand that even though the world may reward us for wrong or superficial reasons, such as our physical appearance, the family we come from, and so on, what really matters is who we are inside and who we are becoming.
-041_Consider What Comes First, Then What Follows, and Then Act.htm
Cultivate the habit of surveying and testing a prospective action before undertaking it. Before you proceed, step back and look at the big picture, lest you act rashly on raw impulse. Determine what happens first, consider what that leads to, and then act in accordance with what you’ve learned.
Just as certain capacities are required for success in a particular area, so too are certain sacrifices required. If you wish to become proficient in the art of living with wisdom, do you think that you can eat and drink to excess? Do you think you can continue succumb to anger and your usual habits of frustration and unhappiness? No. If true wisdom is your object and you are sincere, you will have work to do on yourself. You will have to overcome many unhealthy cravings and knee-jerk reactions. You will have to reconsider whom you associate with. Are your friends and associates worthy people? Does their influence – their habits, values, and behavior – elevate you or reinforce the slovenly habits form which you seek escape? The life of wisdom, like anything else, demands its price. You may, in following it, be ridiculed and even end up with the worst of everything in all parts of your public life, including your career, your social standing, and your legal position in the courts.
Once you have given due consideration to all of the constituent details that compose the effort to live the higher life, venture forth with your utmost effort. Make the necessary sacrifices that are the price for the worthiest of goals; freedom, even-mindedness, and tranquility. If, however, upon honestly appraising your mettle, you are not fit or ready, free yourself from delusion and tread a different, more realistic road.
You can only be one person – either a good person or a bad person. You have two essential choices. Either you can set yourself to developing your reason, cleaving to truth, or you can hanker after externals. The choice is yours and yours alone. You can either put your skills toward internal work or lose yourself to externals, which is to say, a person of wisdom or follow the common ways of the mediocre.
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