in your voice, visible in your eyes, like a lover who looks
into your face and takes in the whole story at a glance. A
straightforward, honest person should be like someone who
stinks: when you’re in the same room with him, you know it.
But false straightforwardness is like a knife in the back.
False friendship is the worst. Avoid it at all costs. If
you’re honest and straightforward and mean well, it should
show in your eyes. It should be unmistakable.
- To live a good life:
We have the potential for it. If we can learn to be
indifferent to what makes no difference. This is how we
learn: by looking at each thing, both the parts and the whole.
Keeping in mind that none of them can dictate how we
perceive it. They don’t impose themselves on us. They hover
before us, unmoving. It is we who generate the judgments—
inscribing them on ourselves. And we don’t have to. We
could leave the page blank—and if a mark slips through,
erase it instantly.
Remember how brief is the attentiveness required. And
then our lives will end.
And why is it so hard when things go against you? If it’s
imposed by nature, accept it gladly and stop fighting it. And
if not, work out what your own nature requires, and aim at