From Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations":
“You are bound nevertheless to be a good man, and what it is that your nature requires of you as you are a man, be not diverted from what you are about, and speak that which seems to you most just: only speak it kindly, modestly, and without hypocrisy.”
Excellent advice here: 1) do not be distracted from your goal or purpose ; 2) say what is just, but do it with kindness, modesty, and without hypocrisy.
For some people, staying focused on their goal/task/purpose is a challenge, and the first part of this advice might be more relevant. But for me personally, the second part is more challenging. I often want to speak my mind (what, to me, seems "just"), but I do not always do it kindly, modestly, or without hypocrisy. There's the real rub. It's so easy to take an easy swipe at someone else in sarcasm or casual conversation even though it's not nice. It's so easy to brag or boast without modesty. And it is always easiest to see my faults in others and to criticize them for it rather than correct the fault within myself. So, as with much of Aurelius' advice, it is good advice, but hard to follow!
Cheers! Keep reading!
PS. I recently finished a great book by Steven Strogatz entitled "The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity". I highly recommend it!
“You are bound nevertheless to be a good man, and what it is that your nature requires of you as you are a man, be not diverted from what you are about, and speak that which seems to you most just: only speak it kindly, modestly, and without hypocrisy.”
Excellent advice here: 1) do not be distracted from your goal or purpose ; 2) say what is just, but do it with kindness, modesty, and without hypocrisy.
For some people, staying focused on their goal/task/purpose is a challenge, and the first part of this advice might be more relevant. But for me personally, the second part is more challenging. I often want to speak my mind (what, to me, seems "just"), but I do not always do it kindly, modestly, or without hypocrisy. There's the real rub. It's so easy to take an easy swipe at someone else in sarcasm or casual conversation even though it's not nice. It's so easy to brag or boast without modesty. And it is always easiest to see my faults in others and to criticize them for it rather than correct the fault within myself. So, as with much of Aurelius' advice, it is good advice, but hard to follow!
Cheers! Keep reading!
PS. I recently finished a great book by Steven Strogatz entitled "The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity". I highly recommend it!
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