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

BOOK II. i.31-36Tand aversion., whether OU do not } fail to get whatyou wish,, or do not fall into what you do not wish.As for those trifling periods of yours,,ifyou are wise,you will take them away somewhere and blot themout. What then? Did not Socrates write? Yes.,who wrote as much as he * ? But how ? Since hecould not have always at hand someone to test hisjudgements, or to be tested by him in turn, he wasin the habit of testing and examining himself, andwas always in a practical way trying out someparticular primary conception. That is what aphilosopher writes but; trifling phrases, and " saidhe," fc said I " 2he leaves to others, to the stupid orthe blessed, those who by virtue of their tranquillitylive at leisure, or those who by virtue of their follytake no account of logical conclusions.And now, when the crisis calls, will you gooff andmake an exhibition of your compositions, and givea reading from them,, and " boast, See, how I writedialogues " ? Do not so, man, but rather boast asfollows ": See how in my desire I do not fail to getwhat I wish. See how in my aversions I do notfall into things that I would avoid. Bring on deathand you shall know ; bring on hardships, bring onimprisonment, bring on disrepute, bring on condemnation."This is the proper exhibition of ayoung man come from school. Leave other thingsto other people neither let ;anyone ever hear a wordfrom you about them, nor, if anyone praises you forthem, do you tolerate it, but let yourself be accounteda no-body and a know-nothing. Show2 Characteristic expressions in dialogue, an especiallypopular t}'pe of composition for philosophy which aspired toa refined literary form; compare the critical note.223