Persevere then until thou shalt have made these things thy own, as the stomach which is strengthened makes all things its own, as the blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.
This passage urges perseverance in internalizing principles, comparing it to a strong stomach digesting food or fire consuming fuel.
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How ridiculous and what a stranger he is who is surprised at anything which happens in life.
Throw away thy books; no longer distract thyself: it is not allowed; but as if thou wast now dying, despise the flesh; it is blood and bones and network, a contexture of nerves, veins, and arteries.
But to be strong enough both to bear the one and to be sober in the other is the mark of a man who has a perfect and invincible soul, such as he showed in the illness of Maximus.
For he who yields to pain and he who yields to anger, both are wounded and both submit.
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