The Condition of an Ordinary Person and a Philosopher

The first difference between a common person (ἰδιώτης) and a philosopher is this: the common person says, Woe to me for my little child, for my brother, for my father.⁵²⁷ The philosopher, if he shall ever be compelled to say, Woe to me, stops and says, 'but for myself.' For nothing which is independent of the will can hinder or damage the will, and the will can only hinder or damage itself. If then we ourselves incline in this direction, so as, when we are unlucky, to blame ourselves and to remember that nothing else is the cause of perturbation or loss of tranquillity except our own opinion, I swear to you by all the gods that we have made progress. But in the present state of affairs we have gone another way from the beginning. For example, while we were still children, the nurse, if we ever stumbled through want of care, did not chide us, but would beat the stone. But what did the stone do? Ought the stone to have moved on account of your child's folly? Again, if we find nothing to eat on coming out of the bath, the paedagogue never checks our appetite, but he flogs the cook. Man, did we make you the paedagogue of the cook and not of the child?⁵²⁸ Correct the child, improve him. In this way even when we are grown up we are like children. For he who is unmusical is a child in music; he who is without letters is a child in learning: he who is untaught, is a child in life.

The first difference between an ordinary person (ἰδιώτης) and a philosopher is this: the ordinary person says, Woe is me for my little child, my brother, my father.⁵²⁷ If a philosopher is ever forced to say, Woe is me, he stops and says, 'but for myself.' For nothing outside the will can hinder or harm it. Only the will itself can do that. Suppose we ourselves come to think this way. When misfortune strikes, we blame ourselves and remember that only our own opinions disturb us or rob us of peace. If we do this, I swear to you by all the gods that we have made progress. But as things stand, we have taken a different path from the beginning. For example, when we were children, we sometimes stumbled because we were careless. Our nurse did not scold us, but would beat the stone. But what did the stone do? Should it have moved because your child was foolish? Again, suppose we come out of the bath and find nothing to eat. Our paedagogue never checks our appetite, but flogs the cook. Man, did we make you the paedagogue of the cook and not of the child?⁵²⁸ Correct the child, make him better. In this way, even when we are grown up, we are like children. For someone who knows nothing of music is a child in music. Someone who cannot read or write is a child in learning. Someone who has not been taught is a child in life.