But at certain times, and either due to duties or the necessities of things, it will often happen that both pleasures are to be rejected and troubles are not to be refused. And so the choice of these things is held by a wise man, so that either by rejecting greater pleasures he may obtain others, or by enduring pains he may repulse more severe ones....CONTINUE READING
It is important to take care of the pain itself, and it will be followed by the growth of the patient, but at the same time it will happen that there is a lot of work and pain. For to come to the smallest detail, no one should practice any kind of work unless he derives some benefit from it.
For no one despises or hates or runs away from pleasure because it is pleasure, but because great pains result to those who do not know how to follow pleasure with reason.
And indeed the distinction between these things is easy and expedient. For in free time, when we are free to choose and nothing prevents us from doing what pleases us the most, all pleasure must be assumed, all pain rejected.
There is no mating. Unless they are blinded by lust, they do not come forth; they are in fault who abandon their duties and soften their hearts, that is, their labors.
But in order that you may see whence all this born error of those who accuse pleasure and praise pain, I will open the whole matter, and explain the very things which were said by that discoverer of truth and as it were the architect of a happy life.
“Does not be angry with pain in rebuke, in pleasure he wants to be a hair of pain and flees from joy”
Nor, moreover, is there any one who, because he likes pain, pursues it, wants to gain it, but because such times never occur in which he seeks some great pleasure through labor and pain.
For to come to the smallest detail, none of us undertakes any exercise of the body which is laborious, except in order to derive some advantage from it…CONTINUE READING>>
