red that it is your own opinion which
provokes you. Try in the first place not to be hurried away with the
appearance. For if you once gain time and respite you will more easily
command yourself.

Be assured that the essential property of piety towards the gods is to
form right opinions concerning them as existing and as governing the
universe with goodness and justice. And fix yourself in the resolution
to obey them, and yield to them, and willingly follow them in all
events, as produced by the most perfect understanding. For thus you will
never find fault with the gods, nor accuse them of neglecting you. And
it is not possible for this to be effected any other way than by
withdrawing yourself from things not in your own power and placing good
or evil in those only which are. For if you suppose any of the things
not in your own power to be either good or evil, when you are
disappointed at what you wish, or incur what you would avoid, you must
necessarily find fault with and blame the authors.

Be for the most part silent, or speak merely what is necessary, and in
few words. We may sparingly enter into discourse when occasion calls for
it, but not on the vulgar topics of gladiators, horse-races, feasts, and
so on; above all, not of men, so as either to blame, praise, or make
comparisons.

If anyone tells you such a person speaks ill of you, make no excuses,
but answer, "He does not know my other faults, or he would not have
mentioned only these."

When you do anything from a clear judgment that it ought to be done,
never shun the being seen to do it, even though the world should make a
wrong supposition about it. For if you do not act right, shun the action
itself; and if you do, why be afraid of mistaken censure?

When any person does ill by you, or speaks ill of you, remember that he
acts or speaks from a supposition of its being his duty. Now, it is not
possible that he should follow what appears right to you, but what
appears so to himself. Therefore, if he misjudges, he is the person
hurt, for he is the one deceived. Meekly bear, then, a person who
reviles you, for you will say upon every occasion, "It seemed so to
him."

The condition and characteristic of a vulgar person is that he never
expects either benefit or hurt from himself, but from externals. The
condition and characteristic of a philosopher is that he expects all
hurt and benefit from himself. The marks of a proficient are that he
censures no on