Impression

εὐθὺς οὖν πάσῃ φαντασίᾳ τραχείᾳ μελέτα ἐπιλέγειν ὅτι «φαντασία εἶ καὶ οὐ πάντως τὸ φαινόμενον.» ἔπειτα ἐξέταζε αὐτὴν καὶ δοκίμαζε τοῖς κανόσι τούτοις οἷς ἔχεις, πρώτῳ δὲ τούτῳ καὶ μάλιστα, πότερον περὶ τὰ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἢ περὶ τὰ οὐκ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν· κἂν περί τι τῶν οὐκ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ᾖ, πρόχειρον ἔστω τὸ διότι «οὐδὲν πρὸς ἐμέ»

So practice, from this moment, saying to every harsh impression: “You are an impression, and not at all the thing you appear to be.” Then examine it and test it by the standards you have – first and above all by this one: does it concern what is up to us, or what is not up to us? And if it concerns anything not up to us, have the answer ready: “Nothing to me.”

ἐπὶ μηδενὶ ἐπαρθῇς ἀλλοτρίῳ προτερήματι. εἰ ὁ ἵππος ἐπαιρόμενος ἔλεγεν ὅτι «καλός εἰμι,» οἰστὸν ἂν ἦν· σὺ δέ, ὅταν λέγῃς ἐπαιρόμενος ὅτι «ἵππον καλὸν ἔχω,» ἴσθι, ὅτι ἐπὶ ἵππου ἀγαθῷ ἐπαίρῃ. τί οὖν ἐστι σόν; χρῆσις φαντασιῶν. ὥσθ’, ὅταν ἐν χρήσει φαντασιῶν κατὰ φύσιν σχῇς, τηνικαῦτα ἐπάρθητι· τότε γὰρ ἐπὶ σῷ τινι ἀγαθῷ ἐπαρθήσῃ.

Do not be proud of any excellence that is not your own. If a horse said proudly, “I am beautiful,” it would be bearable. But when you say proudly, “I have a beautiful horse,” understand: you are proud of a good that belongs to a horse. What, then, is yours? The use of impressions. So when you handle your impressions in harmony with nature, then be proud – for then you will be proud of a good that is your own.

ἐφ’ ἑκάστου τῶν προσπιπτόντων μέμνησο ἐπιστρέφων ἐπὶ σεαυτὸν ζητεῖν, τίνα δύναμιν ἔχεις πρὸς τὴν χρῆσιν αὐτοῦ. ἐὰν καλὸν ἴδῃς ἢ καλήν, εὑρήσεις δύναμιν πρὸς ταῦτα ἐγκράτειαν· ἐὰν πόνος προσφέρηται, εὑρήσεις καρτερίαν· ἂν λοιδορία, εὑρήσεις ἀνεξικακίαν. καὶ οὕτως ἐθιζόμενόν σε οὐ συναρπάσουσιν αἱ φαντασίαι.

At everything that happens to you, remember to turn inward and ask what capacity you have for making use of it. If you see a beautiful boy or a beautiful girl, you will find a capacity for that: self-control. If hard labor is laid on you, you will find endurance. If insults, you will find patience. Make this your habit, and your impressions will not sweep you away.

ὅταν κλαίοντα ἴδῃς τινὰ ἐν πένθει ἢ ἀποδημοῦντος τέκνου ἢ ἀπολωλεκότα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, πρόσεχε μή σε ἡ φαντασία συναρπάσῃ ὡς ἐν κακοῖς ὄντος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐκτός, ἀλλ’ εὐθὺς ἔστω πρόχειρον ὅτι «τοῦτον θλίβει οὐ τὸ συμβεβηκός (ἄλλον γὰρ οὐ θλίβει), ἀλλὰ τὸ δόγμα τὸ περὶ τούτου.» μέχρι μέντοι λόγου μὴ ὄκνει συμπεριφέρεσθαι αὐτῷ, κἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, καὶ συνεπιστενάξαι· πρόσεχε μέντοι μὴ καὶ ἔσωθεν στενάξῃς.

When you see someone weeping in grief because his child has gone abroad or he has lost his property, be careful that the impression does not sweep you away into thinking that he is in the grip of external evils. Have this ready at once: “What crushes this man is not what happened – it does not crush someone else – but his judgment about it.” Do not hesitate, though, to sympathize with him in words, and even, if it comes to that, to groan along with him. But be careful not to groan inside.

κόραξ ὅταν μὴ αἴσιον κεκράγῃ, μὴ συναρπαζέτω σε ἡ φαντασία· ἀλλ’ εὐθὺς διαίρει παρὰ σεαυτῷ καὶ λέγε ὅτι «τούτων ἐμοὶ οὐδὲν ἐπισημαίνεται, ἀλλ’ ἢ τῷ σωματίῳ μου ἢ τῷ κτησειδίῳ μου ἢ τῷ δοξαρίῳ μου ἢ τοῖς τέκνοις ἢ τῇ γυναικί. ἐμοὶ δὲ πάντα αἴσια σημαίνεται, ἐὰν ἐγὼ θέλω· ὅ τι γὰρ ἂν τούτων ἀποβαίνῃ, ἐπ’ ἐμοί ἐστιν ὠφεληθῆναι ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ.»

When a raven croaks a bad omen, do not let the impression sweep you away. Draw the distinction at once and say: “None of this is a sign for me – only for my little body, my little property, my little reputation, my children, or my wife. For me, every sign is favorable, if I want it to be. For whatever comes of this, it is up to me to benefit from it.”

ὅρα μήποτε ἰδών τινα προτιμώμενον ἢ μέγα δυνάμενον ἢ ἄλλως εὐδοκιμοῦντα μακαρίσῃς, ὑπὸ τῆς φαντασίας συναρπασθείς. ἐὰν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἡ οὐσία τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ᾖ, οὔτε φθόνος οὔτε ζηλοτυπία χώραν ἔχει· σύ τε αὐτὸς οὐ στρατηγός, οὐ πρύτανις ἢ ὕπατος εἶναι θελήσεις, ἀλλ’ ἐλεύθερος. μία δὲ ὁδὸς πρὸς τοῦτο, καταφρόνησις τῶν οὐκ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν.

Watch out: when you see someone honored above you, or wielding great power, or otherwise highly regarded, do not be swept away by the impression and call him blessed. If the essence of the good lies in what is up to us, there is no room for envy or jealousy – and you yourself will not want to be a general or a magistrate or a consul, but free. And there is one road to freedom: contempt for what is not up to us.

μέμνησο, ὅτι οὐχ ὁ λοιδορῶν ἢ ὁ τύπτων ὑβρίζει, ἀλλὰ τὸ δόγμα τὸ περὶ τούτων ὡς ὑβριζόντων. ὅταν οὖν ἐρεθίσῃ σέ τις, ἴσθι, ὅτι ἡ σή σε ὑπόληψις ἠρέθικε. τοιγαροῦν ἐν πρώτοις πειρῶ ὑπὸ τῆς φαντασίας μὴ συναρπασθῆναι· ἂν γὰρ ἅπαξ χρόνου καὶ διατριβῆς τύχῃς, ῥᾷον κρατήσεις σεαυτοῦ.

Remember: it is not the one who reviles you or hits you who humiliates you, but your judgment that these people are humiliating you. So when someone provokes you, understand that it is your own assumption that has provoked you. Try, therefore, above all, not to be swept away by the impression. Once you gain time and delay, you will find it easier to master yourself.

ὅταν ἡδονῆς τινος φαντασίαν λάβῃς, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων, φύλασσε σαυτόν, μὴ συναρπασθῇς ὑπ’ αὐτῆς· ἀλλ’ ἐκδεξάσθω σε τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ ἀναβολήν τινα παρὰ σεαυτοῦ λάβε. ἔπειτα μνήσθητι ἀμφοτέρων τῶν χρόνων, καθ’ ὅν τε ἀπολαύσεις τῆς ἡδονῆς, καὶ καθ’ ὃν ἀπολαύσας ὕστερον μετανοήσεις καὶ αὐτὸς σεαυτῷ λοιδορήσῃ· καὶ τούτοις ἀντίθες ὅπως ἀποσχόμενος χαιρήσεις καὶ ἐπαινέσεις αὐτὸς σεαυτόν. ἐὰν δέ σοι καιρὸς φανῇ ἅψασθαι τοῦ ἔργου, πρόσεχε, μὴ ἡττήσῃ σε τὸ προσηνὲς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡδὺ καὶ ἐπαγωγόν· ἀλλ’ ἀντιτίθει, πόσῳ ἄμεινον τὸ συνειδέναι σεαυτῷ ταύτην τὴν νίκην νενικηκότι.

When you receive the impression of some pleasure, guard yourself, as with impressions generally, so that it does not sweep you away. Let the thing wait for you; grant yourself a delay. Then call to mind both times: the time when you will enjoy the pleasure, and the time afterward, when you will regret it and berate yourself. Set against these how glad you will be if you abstain, and how you will praise yourself. But if the moment does seem right to take up the act, be careful that its charm and sweetness and pull do not defeat you. Set against it this: how much better it is to know, within yourself, that you have won this victory.

λούεταί τις ταχέως· μὴ εἴπῃς ὅτι κακῶς, ἀλλ’ ὅτι ταχέως. πίνει τις πολὺν οἶνον· μὴ εἴπῃς ὅτι κακῶς, ἀλλ’ ὅτι πολύν. πρὶν γὰρ διαγνῶναι τὸ δόγμα, πόθεν οἶσθα, εἰ κακῶς; οὕτως οὐ συμβήσεταί σοι ἄλλων μὲν φαντασίας καταληπτικὰς λαμβάνειν, ἄλλοις δὲ συγκατατίθεσθαι.

Someone bathes quickly: do not say he bathes badly, but quickly. Someone drinks a lot of wine: do not say he drinks badly, but a lot. Until you have grasped his judgment, how do you know it was bad? This way, it will never happen to you that you grasp one set of impressions clearly and yet assent to a different one.