Musonius Rufus, Lectures 2.4

Of what, then, is this evidence if not of the existence of an innate inclination of the human soul toward goodness and nobleness, and of the presence of the seeds of virtue in each one of us?

Moreover, because it is entirely to our advantage to be good, some of us deceive ourselves into thinking that we are really good, while others of us are ashamed to admit that we are not.

Why then pray, when one who has not learned letters or music or gymnastics never claims to have knowledge of these arts nor makes any pretense of knowing them, and is quite unable even to name a teacher to whom he went, why, I say, does everyone profess that he has virtue?

It is because none of those other skills is natural to man, and no human being is born with a natural faculty for them, whereas an inclination toward virtue is inborn in each one of us.

Every sort of thing is made to fulfill its own nature, in its own distinct way. Every other condition is superfluous to that, perhaps preferable, yet hardly necessary.

We all know that we should be good, even as we are not always sure how to be good. We want this so much that we delude ourselves into believing that anything we do will make us good.

No, it will not.

We see certain things we desire, and we think that their acquisition will make us kind and decent folks.

No, they will not.

This job, or that spouse, or some honor here or there is entirely beside the point. Regardless of the circumstances, where was the understanding, where was the conviction, where was the self-control, where was the love? I would like to assume I have all of that, since I take it for granted that success is good; but wait, what is the real measure of human success? Have I been selling my dignity and integrity for that supposed success?

If I have never carefully studied quantum physics, then I cannot claim to be a quantum physicist. So if I have never carefully studied virtue, why am I claiming to be virtuous? I don’t want to admit that I don’t know what I should know.

I make the claim, however false, because I know, however vaguely, that this is something I need to live up to. I become worried, because studying quantum physics is hard, and studying virtue is surely harder.

No, it isn’t any harder at all; it should actually come much more easily. It flows from us with ease as soon as we get our priorities in order. Right thinking leads to right doing, and no training in complex equations or mind-twisting concepts is required of anyone here. The physicist may need years of formal education, while the good man only needs his own common sense and a humble heart.

I ask this of myself in a much simpler way: Does my life hang on how good I am at calculus? That skill can be of great service to me in so many ways, but no, it does not. It is a means, not the end.

Does my life hang on whether I can be concerned, respectful, and compassionate? Yes, it does. It is the very fulfillment of being human. It is the end, not a means.

There is one thing I was made for, the one thing that comes naturally to me, and that is the excellence of my own character. I must remember that I can take or leave the rest, since it is something added to my nature, not something grown out of my nature.

“I was born to be a lawyer!”

No, you were born to be honest, whether you happen to be a lawyer or not.

“I was born to be a rock star!”

No, you were born to be humble, whether you happen to be a rock star or not.

“I was born to be a baron of industry!”

No, you were born to be fair, whatever business you happen to work in.

It’s funny how we get it all backwards, and we start with all the accidents, while neglecting the essence. Then we somehow foolishly think we can achieve the essence by spending all of our time on those accidents.

To be a happy man you simply have to be a good man, first and foremost. That comes from within, from all the gifts Nature and Providence put right there in your lap. Everything else comes from the outside.

Written in 4/1999