Do not pursue what is illusory - property and position: all that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade after decade, and is confiscated in one fell night. Live with a steady superiority over life - don't be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn after happiness; it is, after all, all the same: the bitter doesn't last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing.

... We brush aside all scales not our own, as if they were follies or delusions.

... people don't know what they are striving for. They waste themselves in senseless thrashing around for the sake of a handful of goods and die without realizing their spiritual wealth.

... any country that is not careful can be seized.

And the over-all fact that you are a frail vessel full of errors.

As for Europe, its claims towards Russia are fairly transparently based on fears about energy, unjustified fears at that.

Truth seldom is pleasant; it is almost invariably bitter.