Deed and Word in Accord
Blessing is not a favourable deity assigned at birth. It is becoming a blessing to yourself. The worst curse is to pray that a man be at enmity with himself. What we call affliction is often the root of happiness; what we call blessing often destroys. Attalus on wealth: even porridge and water can fall under another's jurisdiction. Freedom belongs to the person over whom Fortune has no power, not merely slight power. Crave nothing. That is what makes Jupiter Jupiter. Do not seem happy. Be happy, and seem so to yourself rather than to others.
Key Insight
The last enemy of a value is the split inside the person who claims it. If you need the room to confirm the life, you are already at enmity with yourself. Crave less than the jurisdiction of other people. Seeming is the lecture-room version of a good you have not yet been.
“You can curse a man with no heavier curse than to pray that he may be at enmity with himself.”Explore full theme analysis
