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Intro

In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present—I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was thought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bed-clothes and keep myself warm?—But this is more pleasant.—Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion? Dost thou not see the little plants, the little birds, the ants, the spiders, the bees working together to put in order their several parts of the universe? And art thou unwilling to do the work of a human being, and dost thou not make haste to do that which is according to thy nature?—But it is necessary to take rest also.—It is necessary: however nature has fixed bounds to this too: she has fixed bounds both to eating and drinking, and yet thou goest beyond these bounds, beyond what is sufficient; yet in thy acts it is not so, but thou stoppest short of what thou canst do. So thou lovest not thyself, for if thou didst, thou wouldst love thy nature and her will. But those who love their several art exhaust themselves in working at them unwashed and with out food; but thou valuest thy own nature less than the turner values the turning art, or the dancer the dancing art , or the lover of money values his money, or the vainglorious man his little glory. And such men, when they have a violent effection to a thing, choose neither to eat nor to sleep rather than to perfect the things which they care for. But are the cats which concern society more vile in thy eyes and less worthy of thy labout?

How easy it is to repel and to wipe away every impression which it troublesome or unsuitable, and immediately to be in all tranquility.

Judge every word and deed which are according to nature to be fit for thee; and be not diverted by the blame which follows from any people nor by their words, but if a thing is good to be done or said, do not consider it unworthy of thee. For those persons have their peculiar leading principle and follow their peculiar movement; which things do not thou regard, but go straight on, following thy own nature and the common nature; and the way of both is one.

I go through the things which happen according to nature until I shall fall and rest, breathing out my breath into that element out of which I daily draw it in, and falling upon that earth out of which my father collected the seed, and my mother the blood, and my nurse the milk; out of which during so many years I have been supplied with food and drink; which bears me when I tread on it and abuse it for so many purposes.

Thou sayest, Men connot admire the sharpness of thy wits. – Be it so: but there are many other things of which thou canst not say, I am not formed for them by nature. Show those qualities then which are altogether in thy power, sincerity , gravity ,endurance of labour, aversion to pleasure, contentment with thy portion and with few things, benevolence, frankness, no love of superfluity, freedom from trifling magnanimity. Dost thou not see how many qualities thou art immediately able to exhibit, in which there is no excuse of natural incapacity and unfitness, and yet thou still remainest voluntarily below the mark? Or ate thou compelled through being defectively furnished by nature to murmur, and to be stingy, and to flatter, and to find fault with thy poor body , and to be so restless in thy mind? No, by the gods: but thou mightiest have been delivered from these things long ago. Only if in truth thou canst be charged with being rather slow and dull of comprehension, thou must exert thyself about this also, not neglecting it nor yet taking pleasure in thy dullness.

早上当你不情愿起床时，让这一思想出现——我正起来去做一个人的工作。如果我是要去做我因此而存在，因此而被带入这一世界的工作，那我有什么不满意呢？难道我是为了躲在温暖的被子里睡眠而生的吗？——但这是较愉快的。——那你的存在是为了获取快乐，而全然不是为了行动和尽力吗？你没与看到小小的植物、小鸟、蚂蚁、蜘蛛、蜜蜂都在一起工作，从而有条不紊地尽在它们宇宙中的职分吗？你不愿做一个人的工作，不赶快做那合乎你本性的事吗？——但休息是必要的。——休息是必要的，但自然也为这确定了界限，她为吃喝规定了界限，但你还是越过了这些限制，超出了尽够的范围；而你的行动却不是这样，在还没有做你能做的之前就停止了。所以你不爱你自己，因为，如果你爱，你就将爱你的本性及其意志。那些而爱他们各自的技艺的人都在工作中忙得筋疲力尽，他们没有洗浴，没有事物；而你对你的本性的尊重却甚至还不如杂耍艺人尊重杂耍技艺、舞蹈家尊重舞蹈技艺、聚财者尊重他的金钱，或者虚荣者尊重他小小的光荣。这些人，当他们对一件事怀有一种强烈的爱好时，宁肯不吃不睡也要完善他们所关心的事情。而在你的眼里，难道有益于社会的行为是讨厌的，竟不值得你劳作吗？

这是多么容易啊：抵制和清除一切令人苦恼或不适当的印象，迅速进入完全的宁静。

判断每一符合你本性的言行，不要受来自任何人的谴责或话语的影响，而如果做或者说一件事是好的，不要把它想做对你是无价值的。因为那些人有他们特殊的知道原则，遵循着他们特殊的活动，你不要重视那些事情，而是直接前进，遵从你自己的本性和共同的本性，遵从两者合而为一的道路。

我按照本性经历所发生的事情，知道我倒下安息，直到我呼出的气息化为我每日吸入的那种元素，知道我倒在这块大地上——我的父亲从它收集种子，我的母亲从他获得血液，我的奶妈从它吸取奶汁，在许多年里我从它得到食物和饮料的供应；但我践踏它，为许多的目的滥用它时，它默默地承受着我。

你说，人们不能欣赏你的机智——就算这样，但也有许多别的事情是你不能这样说的，有许多事情是我先天不适合的。那么展示那些完全在你力量范围内的品质把：真诚，严肃，忍受劳作，厌恶快乐，满足于你的份额和很少的事情，仁慈，坦白，不爱多余之物，免除轻率的慷慨。你没有看到你马上能展示的多少品质吗？那些品质都是你没有借口说是天生无能或不适合的，你还愿意使自己保留在标准之下吗？难道你是天生就不健全以致本能不抱怨、吝啬、谄媚、不满于你可怜的身体、试图取悦于人，出风头和内心紧张不安吗？不，的确，你本来可以早就从这些事情中解脱出来了，除非你的理解力的确天生就相当迟钝和麻木，但你也必须在这方面训练自己，不忽视它也不以你的迟钝为乐。