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Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

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16 MARCUS ANTONINUS BOOK<br />

general comparison Theophrastus sagely ob-<br />

serves that sins <strong>of</strong> desire are more heinous than<br />

sins <strong>of</strong> passion. For passion is an estrangement<br />

from reason, accompanied by sense <strong>of</strong> pain and<br />

inward constriction ; but sins <strong>of</strong> desire, in which<br />

pleasure gets the better <strong>of</strong> us, imply more <strong>of</strong><br />

feminine incontinence. And surely it is right<br />

and philosophical <strong>to</strong> say that sinning with<br />

pleasure is more culpable than sinning with pain.<br />

The latter is like acting under provocation, and<br />

being driven in<strong>to</strong> passion by pain<br />

: the former is<br />

a spontaneous impulse <strong>to</strong>wards wrong, driving one<br />

<strong>to</strong> satisfaction <strong>of</strong> desire.<br />

11 Whatever you do or say or think, it is in your<br />

power, remember, <strong>to</strong> take leave <strong>of</strong> life. In de-<br />

parting from this world, if indeed there are gods,<br />

there is nothing <strong>to</strong> be afraid <strong>of</strong>; for gods will<br />

not let you<br />

gods, or if they<br />

fall in<strong>to</strong> evil. But if there are no<br />

do not concern themselves with<br />

men, why live on in a world devoid <strong>of</strong> gods, or<br />

devoid <strong>of</strong> providence? But there do exist gods,<br />

who do concern themselves with men. And they<br />

have put it wholly in the power <strong>of</strong> man not <strong>to</strong> fall<br />

true evil. Were there real evil in what<br />

in<strong>to</strong> any<br />

remains against that <strong>to</strong>o they would have pro-

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