It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?

Wherever I go it will be well with me, for it was well with me here, not on account of the place, but of my judgments which I shall carry away with me, for no one can deprive me of these; on the contrary, they alone are my property, and cannot be taken away, and to possess them suffices me wherever I am or whatever I do.

What else can I do, a lame old man, but sing hymns to God? If I were a nightingale, I would do the nightingale's part; if I were a swan, I would do as a swan. But now I am a rational creature, and I ought to praise God. This is my work. I do it, nor will I desert my post, so long as I am allowed to keep it. And I ask you to join me in this same song.

Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them.

It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?

When you actively engage in gradually refining yourself, you retreat from your lazy ways of covering yourself or making excuses. Instead of feeling a persistent current of low-level shame, you move forward by using the creative possibilities of this moment, your current situation.

It is better to die of hunger having lived without grief and fear, than to live with a troubled spirit, amid abundance