and nothing more.

This is the true athlete, the man who exercises himself against such
appearances. Stay, wretch, do not be carried away. Great is the combat,
divine is the work; it is for kingship, for freedom, for happiness, for
freedom from perturbation. Remember God; call on him as a helper and
protector, as men at sea call on the Dioscuri in a storm. For what is a
greater storm than that which comes from appearances which are violent
and drive away the reason? For the storm itself, what else is it but an
appearance? For take away the fear of death, and suppose as many
thunders and lightnings as you please, and you will know what calm and
serenity there is in the ruling faculty. But if you have once been
defeated and say that you will conquer hereafter, and then say the same
again, be assured that you will at last be in so wretched a condition
and so weak that you will not even know afterwards that you are doing
wrong, but you will even begin to make apologies (defences) for your
wrong-doing, and then you will confirm the saying of Hesiod to be true,

With constant ills the dilatory strives.

* * * * *

OF INCONSISTENCY.--Some things men readily confess, and other things
they do not. No one then will confess that he is a fool or without
understanding; but quite the contrary you will hear all men saying, I
wish that I had fortune equal to my understanding. But men readily
confess that they are timid, and they say: I am rather timid, I confess;
but as to other respects you will not find me to be foolish. A man will
not readily confess that he is intemperate; and that he is unjust, he
will not confess at all. He will by no means confess that he is envious