| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Protagoras by Plato: and then the old question is repeated, 'Whether the virtues are one or
many?' To which Protagoras is now disposed to reply, that four out of the
five virtues are in some degree similar; but he still contends that the
fifth, courage, is unlike the rest. Socrates proceeds to undermine the
last stronghold of the adversary, first obtaining from him the admission
that all virtue is in the highest degree good:--
The courageous are the confident; and the confident are those who know
their business or profession: those who have no such knowledge and are
still confident are madmen. This is admitted. Then, says Socrates,
courage is knowledge--an inference which Protagoras evades by drawing a
futile distinction between the courageous and the confident in a fluent
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: his stature but middling--one leg slightly more bandy
than the other. He shook hands, looking vaguely around.
A spiritless tenacity was his main characteristic, I judged.
I behaved with a politeness which seemed to disconcert him.
Perhaps he was shy. He mumbled to me as if he were ashamed of
what he was saying; gave his name (it was something like Archbold--
but at this distance of years I hardly am sure), his ship's name,
and a few other particulars of that sort, in the manner
of a criminal making a reluctant and doleful confession.
He had had terrible weather on the passage out--terrible--terrible--
wife aboard, too.
The Secret Sharer |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus by Epictetus: communion with God, being by means of Reason conjoined with Him)
--why should not such an one call himself a citizen of the world?
Why not a son of God? Why should he fear aught that comes to pass
among men? Shall kinship with Caesar, or any other of the great
at Rome, be enough to hedge men around with safety and
consideration, without a thought of apprehension: while to have
God for our Maker, and Father, and Kinsman, shall not this set us
free from sorrows and fears?
XVII
I do not think that an old fellow like me need have been
sitting here to try and prevent your entertaining abject notions
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus |
