Historical voices

Penetrate inwards into men's leading principles, and thou wilt see what judges thou art afraid of, and what kind of judges they are of themselves.

For the stone which has been thrown up it is no evil to come down, nor indeed any good to have been carried up (viii. 20).

Things stand outside of us, themselves by themselves, neither knowing aught of themselves, nor expressing any judgment.

Everything now is just as it was in the time of those whom we have buried.

All things are the same, familiar in experience, and ephemeral in time, and worthless in the matter.

To-day I have got out of all trouble, or rather I have cast out all trouble, for it was not outside, but within and in my opinions.

Labor not as one who is wretched, nor yet as one who would be pitied or admired; but direct thy will to one thing only--to put thyself in motion and to check thyself, as the social reason requires.

And it is in thy power also; or say, who hinders thee?

If thou art able, correct by teaching those who do wrong; but if thou canst not, remember that indulgence is given to thee for this purpose.

Reason produces fruit both for all and for itself, and there are produced from it other things of the same kind as reason itself.

Both man and God and the universe produce fruit; at the proper seasons each produces it.

Sooner, then, will one find anything earthy which comes in contact with no earthy thing, than a man altogether separated from other men.

See, then, what now takes place; for only intelligent animals have now forgotten this mutual desire and inclination, and in them alone the property of flowing together is not seen.

Wipe out imagination; check desire: extinguish appetite: keep the ruling faculty in its own power.

Thy present opinion founded on understanding, and thy present conduct directed to social good, and thy present disposition of contentment with everything which happens+--that is enough.

He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only he who does a certain thing.

He who acts unjustly acts unjustly to himself, because he makes himself bad.

He who does wrong does wrong against himself.

But now thou seest how great is the trouble arising from the discordance of those who live together, so that thou mayst say, Come quick, O death, lest perchance I, too, should forget myself.

For this is the only thing, if there be any, which could draw us the contrary way and attach us to life,--to be permitted to live with those who have the same principles as ourselves.

For it is no way right to be offended with men, but it is thy duty to care for them and to bear with them gently; and yet to remember that thy departure will not be from men who have the same principles as thyself.

This, then, is consistent with the character of a reflecting man--to be neither careless nor impatient nor contemptuous with respect to death, but to wait for it as one of the operations of nature.

Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is one of those things which nature wills.

For the destruction of the understanding is a pestilence, much more, indeed, than any such corruption and change of this atmosphere which surrounds us.