Moral Letters Vol I

5.

Furthermore, an intermittent noise upsets me more than a steady one.

But by this time I have toughened my nerves against all that sort of thing, so that I can endure even a boatswain marking the time in high-pitched tones for his crew.

For I force my mind to concentrate, and keep it from straying to things outside itself; all outdoors may be bedlam, provided that there is no disturbance within, provided that fear is not wrangling with desire in my breast, provided that meanness and lavishness are not at odds, one harassing the other.

For of what benefit is a quiet neighbourhood, if our emotions are in an uproar?

This is not true; for no real rest can be found when reason has not done the lulling.

Night brings our troubles to the light, rather than banishes them; it merely changes the form of our worries.

For even when we seek slumber, our sleepless moments are as harassing as the daytime.

Real tranquillity is the state reached by an unperverted mind when it is relaxed.