When to stick and when to quit
Think of those who, not by fault of inconsistency but by lack of effort, are too unstable to live as they wish, but only live as they have begun. Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind, 2.6b . 생각해 보라, 일관성의 결여가 아니라 노력의 부족으로 인해 원하는 대로 살지 못하고, 단지 시작한 대로만 살아가는 사람들을
Blow your own nose
We cry to God Almighty, how dan we escape this agony? Fool, don't you have hands? Or could it be God forgot to give you a pair? Sit and pray your nose doesn't run! Or, rather just wipe your nose and stop seeking a scapegoat. Epictetus, Discourses, 2.16.13 . 우리는 전능하신 하나님께 외칩니다, 어떻게 이 고통에서 벗어날 수 있습니까? 어리석은 자여, 손이 있지 않은가? 아니면 하나님이 당신에게 손을 주는 것을 잊으셨단 말인가? 앉아서 코가 흐르지 않기를 기도하라! 아니면 그냥 코를 닦고 희샹양을 찾는 것..
It is well to flexible
He can't serve in the military? Let him seek public office. Must he live in the private sector? Let him be a spokesperson. Is he condemned to silence? Let him aid his fellow citizens by silent public witness. Is it dangerous to enter the Forum? Let him display himself, in private homes, at public events and gatherings as a good associate, faithful friend, and moderate tablemate. Has he lost the ..
Plato's view
How beautifully Plato put it. Whenever you want to talk about people, it's best to take a bird's-eye view and see everything all at once - of gatherings, armies, farms, weddings and divorces, births and deaths, noisy courtrooms or silents spaces, every foreign people, holidays, memorials, markets - all blended together and arranged in pairing of opposites Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.48 . 플라..
Always have a mental reverse clause
Indeed, no one can thwart the purposes of your mind - for they can't be touched by fire, steel, tyranny, slander, or anything. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.41 . 실로, 그 누구도 당신 마음의 목적을 방해할 수 없습니다. 그것은 불, 강철, 폭정, 중상모략, 그 어떤 것으로도 손댈 수 없기 때문입니다.
Working hard or hardly working
I can't call a person a hard worker just because I hear they read and write, even if working at it all night. Until I know what a person is working for, I can't deem them industrious... I can't if the end they work for is their own ruling principle, having it be and remain in constant harmony with Nature. Epictetus, Discourses, 4.4.41; 43 . 나는 그들이 읽고 쓰고 있다는 말을 듣고, 심지어 밤새도록 그 일을 하고 있다는 말을 들어도 그 사..