Man Has Much More To Fear From

Freedom Is The First Wish Of Our Heart; Freedom Is The First Blessing Of Nature; And Unless We Bind Ourselves With Voluntary Chains Of Interest Or Passion, We Advance In Freedom As We Advance In Years

The First Of Earthly Blessings, Independence.

It Is Seldom That Minds Long Exercised In Business Have Formed Any Habits Of Conversing With Themselves, And In The Loss Of Power They Principally Regret The Want Of Occupation.

The Inactivity Of A Conqueror Betrays The Loss Of Strength And Blood . . .

The Virtue Of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Was Of A Severer And More Laborious Kind. It Was The Well-earned Harvest Of Many A Learned Conference, Of Many A Patient Lecture, And Many A Midnight Lucubration. At The Age Of Twelve Years, He Embraced The Rigid System Of The Stoics, Which Taught Him To Submit His Body To His Mind, His Passions To His Reason; To Consider Virtue As The Only Good, Vice As The Only Evil, All Things External As Things Indifferent.