Seneca, On Peace of Mind 10.5

Moreover, we ought not to allow our desires to wander far afield, but we must make them confine themselves to our immediate neighborhood, since they will not endure to be altogether locked up.

We must leave alone things which either cannot come to pass or can only be effected with difficulty, and follow after such things as are near at hand and within reach of our hopes, always remembering that all things are equally unimportant, and that though they have a different outward appearance, they are all alike empty within.

People will sometimes tell me I can have everything I want, though I find I must consider such a statement closely. Can I really have everything? Should I even want everything?

It is certainly noble to dream big, to make grand plans, to take daring risks, to face every endeavor with courage. We say such things to inspire greatness and to instill confidence, and we wish to make certain that no one becomes any less than he is capable of being.

Let every man follow his own best judgment, and let him then achieve whatever might be within his power. I constantly restrain my vain urges to tell other people how to live, oftentimes in mid-sentence. I would only ask them kindly to work from an informed conscience.

Is it within your power? Far more importantly, is it right to do it? If the former conflicts with the latter, will you choose power over principle?

For myself, I know that it is not possible for me to be made of gold, or stand a thousand feet tall, or turn water into wine, or walk on water, even if I am just pretending to do so by stepping on other people’s heads.

I can speak only for myself, but I know precisely when I have gone well beyond my bounds. I am rightly shamed by it. I vainly demand more than I need, and I arrogantly think myself more than I am.

What is necessary for a good life? There are limits to what I can have outside of me, and the recognition of those limits can hit like a ton of bricks. But there is no limit to what I can be inside of me. By knowing anything at all, by appreciating it, by loving it, I have no bounds to the scope of my soul.

I only run into the same problems, again and again, when I want to make something mine that isn’t mine to begin with. Let it be what it is. Show it respect, even if it is what will end me. It has done its part, and I have done my part.

Distinguo. The breadth may be narrow, while the depth is still limitless.

Written in 10/2011