8.
What, then, am I myself doing with my leisure?
I am trying to cure my own sores.
If I were to show you a swollen foot, or an inflamed hand, or some shrivelled sinews in a withered leg, you would permit me to lie quiet in one place and to apply lotions to the diseased member.
But my trouble is greater than any of these, and I cannot show it to you.
The abscess, or ulcer, is deep within my breast.
Pray, pray, do not commend me, do not say: “What a great man!
He has learned to despise all things; condemning the madnesses of man’s life, he has made his escape!” I have condemned nothing except myself.
Book: Moral Letters Vol II
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On wisdom and retirement
Location: Chapter 68, Section 8
Content:
8.
What, then, am I myself doing with my leisure?
I am trying to cure my own sores.
If I were to show you a swollen foot, or an inflamed hand, or some shrivelled sinews in a withered leg, you would permit me to lie quiet in one place and to apply lotions to the diseased member.
But my trouble is greater than any of these, and I cannot show it to you.
The abscess, or ulcer, is deep within my breast.
Pray, pray, do not commend me, do not say: “What a great man!
He has learned to despise all things; condemning the madnesses of man’s life, he has made his escape!” I have condemned nothing except myself.