Wool and Milk, Not Grass
When you have learned to nourish your body frugally, do not pique yourself upon it. If you drink water, do not say upon every occasion, I drink water. Consider how much more frugal the poor are, and how much more patient of hardship. If you would inure yourself to labor and privation, do it for your own sake and not for the public. Do not attempt great feats. When you are violently thirsty, just rinse your mouth with water, and tell nobody.
Key Insight
The moment the fast becomes an announcement, you are training an audience, not a will. The poor already drink water without a press release. Your private rinse is the only version that still counts as exercise.
“When you are violently thirsty, just rinse your mouth with water, and tell nobody.”Explore full theme analysis
