"If all this is true and we are not silly nor playing a part when we say, 'Man's good and man's evil lies in moral choice, and all other things are nothing to us', why are we still distressed and afraid? Over the things that we seriously care for no-one has authority, and the things over which men have authority do not concern us. What kind of thing have we left to discuss?
- 'Nay, give me directions' - What directions shall I give you? Has not Zeus given you directions? Has he not given you that which is your own, unhindered and unrestrained, while that which is not your own is subject to hindrance and restraint? What directions, then, did you bring with you when came from him into the world, what kind of an order?
Guard by every means that which is your own, but do not grasp that which is another's. Your faithfulness is your own, your self-respect is your own; who, then, can take these things from you? Who but yourself will prevent you from using them? But you, how do you act? When you seek earnestly that which is not your own, you lose that which is your own."
- Epictetus, Discourses, Book 1
Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
ReplyDeleteRetire when the work is done.
- Lao Tzu
The bow which is constantly bent will break - Aesop (The teller of fables)
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