Роздуми
Book 7
"It’slikethis,gentlemenofthejury:Thespotwhereapersondecidestostationhimself,orwhereverhiscommandingofficerstationshim—well,Ithinkthat’swhereheoughttotakehisstandandfacetheenemy,andnotworryaboutbeingkilled,oraboutanythingbutdoinghisduty."
46."But,mygoodfriend,considerthepossibilitythatnobilityandvirtuearenotsynonymouswiththelossorpreservationofone’slife.Isitnotpossiblethatarealmanshouldforgetaboutlivingacertainnumberofyears,andshouldnotclingtolife,butleaveituptothegods,accepting,aswomensay,that‘noonecanescapehisfate,’andturnhisattentiontohowhecanbestlivethelifebeforehim?"
47.Towatchthecoursesofthestarsasifyourevolvedwiththem.Tokeepconstantlyinmindhowtheelementsalterintooneanother.Thoughtslikethiswashoffthemudoflifebelow.
48.[Platohasitright.]Ifyouwanttotalkaboutpeople,youneedtolookdownontheearthfromabove.Herds,armies,farms;weddings,divorces,births,deaths;noisycourtrooms,desertplaces;alltheforeignpeoples;holidays,daysofmourning,marketdays...allmixedtogether,aharmonyofopposites.
49.Lookatthepast—empiresucceedingempire—andfromthat,extrapolatethefuture:thesamething.Noescapefromtherhythmofevents.
Whichiswhyobservinglifeforfortyyearsisasgoodasathousand.Wouldyoureallyseeanythingnew?
50."...
