Volume 1 - Discourses - Books I - II - College of Stoic Philosophers

BOOK I. xxvn. 9-18I have none, what do you wish me to do ? I cannotavoid death. Instead of avoiding the fear of it, shallI die in lamentation and trembling? For the originof sorrow is this to wish for something that does notcome to pass. Therefore, if I can change externalsaccording to my own wish,, Ichange them ;but if Icannot, I am ready to tear out the eyes of the manwho stands inmy way. For it is man's nature notto endure to be deprived of the good, not to endureto fall into the evil. Then,, finally, when I canneither change the circumstances,, nor tear out theeyes of the man who stands in my way,I sit downand groan, and revile whom I can Zeus and therest of the gods for if they do not care for me,what ; are they to me? "Yes," you say, "but thatwill be impious of you." What, then, shall I get thatis worse than what I have now ? In short, we mustthat unless piety and self-interestremember thisbe conjoined, piety cannot be maintained in anyman. Do not these considerations seem urgent?Let the follower of Pyrrho or of the Academycome and oppose us. Indeed I, for ray part, haveno leisure for such matters, nor can I act as advocateto the commonly received opinion. If I had a pettysuit about a mere bit of land, I should have called insome one else to be my advocate. With what evidence,then, am I satisfied? With that whichbelongs to the matter in hand. To the questionhow perception arises, whether through the wholebody, or from some particular part, perhaps I do notknow how to give a reasonable answer, and bothviews perplex me. But that you and I are not thesame persons,I know very certainly. Whence do Iget this ?knowledge When I want to swallow