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Intro

Be not disgusted, nor discouraged, nor dissatisfied, if thou dost not succed in doing everything according to right principles; but when thou bast failed, return back again, and be content if the greater part of what thou doest is consistent with man’s nature, and love this to which thou returnest; and do not return to philosophy as if she were a master, but act like those who have sore eyes and apply a bit of sponge and egg, or as another applies a plaster, or drenching with water, For thus thou wilt not fail to obey reason, and thou wilt repose in it. And remember that philosophy requires only the things which thy nature requires; but thou woludst have something else which is not accoriding to nature.—-It may be objected, Why what is more agreeable than this which I am doing?—But is not this the very reason why pleasure deceives us? And consider if magnanimity, freedom, simplicity,equanimity, piety, are not more agreeable, For what is more agreeable than wisdom itself, when thou thinkest of the security and the happy course of all things which depend on the faculty of understanding and knowledge?

如果你根据正确的原则没有做成一切事时，不要厌恶，不要沮丧，也不要不满；而是在你失败时又再回头重新做起，只要你所做的较大部分符合人的本性，就满足了，热爱你所回到的家园，但不要回到哲学仿佛她是一个主人，而是行动得仿佛那些眼疼的人用一点海绵和蛋清，或者像另一个人用一块膏药，或用水清洗一样。因为这样你将不在遵循理性方面的失败，你将在它那里得到安宁。记住，哲学仅要求你的本性所要求的事情，而你却有那不符合本性的别的什么东西。——你可能反对说，为什么那件事比你正做的这件事更使人愉悦呢？——但这不正是因为快乐在欺骗我们吗？在考虑是否慷慨、自由、朴素、镇静、虔诚不更令人愉悦。当你想到那依赖于理解和认识能力的一切事物的有保障和幸福的过程，有什么比智慧本身更令人愉悦呢？