26.
What element of evil is there in torture and in the other things which we call hardships?
It seems to me that there is this evil,—that the mind sags, and bends, and collapses.
But none of these things can happen to the sage; he stands erect under any load.
Nothing can subdue him; nothing that must be endured annoys him.
For he does not complain that he has been struck by that which can strike any man.
He knows his own strength; he knows that he was born to carry burdens.
Book: Moral Letters Vol II
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On the supreme good
Location: Chapter 71, Section 26
Content:
26.
What element of evil is there in torture and in the other things which we call hardships?
It seems to me that there is this evil,—that the mind sags, and bends, and collapses.
But none of these things can happen to the sage; he stands erect under any load.
Nothing can subdue him; nothing that must be endured annoys him.
For he does not complain that he has been struck by that which can strike any man.
He knows his own strength; he knows that he was born to carry burdens.