their hatreds, and they force themselves to deny the evidence, hoping
thus to deceive others regarding it.

"But truth is always the strongest and they soon become the solitary
dupes of their own wilful blindness.

"The man of common sense knows how to recognize falsehood wherever he
meets it; he knows how vain it is to conceal a positive fact and also how
dangerous it is to deceive oneself, a peril which increases in power, in
proportion to the effort made to ignore it.

"He does not wish to imitate those pusillanimous people who prefer to
live in the agony of doubt rather than to look misfortunes in the
face. He who is determined to acquire common sense will use the
following argument:

"Doubt is a conflict between two conclusions.

"So long as it exists it is impossible to adopt either.

"Serenity is unknown to those whom doubt attacks.

"To obtain peace, it is necessary to become enlightened.

"However, it is wise always to foresee the least happy issue and to
prepare to support the consequences.

"The man who thinks thus will be stronger than adversity and will know
how to struggle with misfortune without allowing it to master him."