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

BOOK II. xv. i6-xvi. 2but on this point I have made my decision." c:Anythingelse" indeed Why,, what is more important!or more to your advantage than to be convincedthat it is not sufficient for a man merely to havereached decisions, and to refuse to change ? Thesefare the sinews of madness, not health. If youforce me to this., I would gladly die/' What for.,man ? What has happened ? "I have decided "!It was fortunate for me that you did not decidelto kill me ! Or again, another " says, I takeno money for my services." 2 Why so? "BecauseI have decided." Rest assured that thereis nothing to prevent you from some day turningirrationally to taking money for your services, andthat with the same vehemence with which you nowrefuse to take it, and then " saying again, I havedecided" ; precisely as in a diseased body, sufferingfrom a flux, the flux inclines now in this directionand now in that. Such is also the sick mind ;itis uncertain which way it is inclined, but whenvehemence also is added to this inclination anddrift, then the evil gets past help and past cure."CHAPTER XVIThat we do not practise the application of ourjudgements about things good and evilWHEREIN lies the good ? In moral purpose.Wherein lies evil ? In moral purpose. Whereinlies that which is neither good nor evil? In thetilings that lie outside the domain of moral purpose.Well, what of it? Docs any one of us rememberthese statements outside the classroom? Does any321