1. When thou hast received the appearance of some pleasure, then, as in other things, guard thyself lest thou be carried away by it, but delay with thyself a little, and let the thing await thee for a while. Then bethink thyself of the two periods of time, one when thou shalt be enjoying the pleasure, the other, when, having enjoyed it, thou shalt afterwards repent of it and reproach thyself. And set on the other side how thou shalt rejoice and commend thyself if thou abstain.
1. When something promises pleasure, guard yourself against being carried away by it, just as you would with anything else. Pause for a moment, and let it wait. Then consider two moments in time. First, when you will be enjoying the pleasure. Second, when it is over and you will regret it and blame yourself. Weigh against this how glad you will be, and how you will praise yourself, if you resist.
2. But if it seem reasonable to thee to do the thing, beware lest thou have been conquered by the flattery and the sweetness and the allurement of it. But set on the other side how much better were the consciousness of having won that victory.
2. But if doing it seems reasonable to you, be careful. You may have been overcome by its flattery, sweetness, and appeal. Weigh against this how much better it would feel to know you had resisted and won.