Speak both in the senate and to every man, whoever he may be, appropriately, not with any affectation: use plain discourse.
—Marcus Aurelius, Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
Category: SELF-WORTH & CONFIDENCE
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Thou hast fallen into disorder then, so that it is no longer easy for thee to get the reputation of a philosopher; and thy plan of life also opposes it. If then thou hast truly seen where the matter lies, throw away the thought, How thou shall seem [to others], and be content if thou shalt live the rest of thy life in such wise as thy nature wills. Observe then what it wills, and let nothing else distract thee; for thou hast had experience of many wanderings without having found happiness anywhere,—not in syllogisms, nor in wealth, nor in reputation, nor in enjoyment, nor anywhere. Where is it then? In doing what man’s nature requires. How then shall a man do this? If he has principles from which come his affects and his acts. What principles? Those which relate to good and bad: the belief that there is nothing good for man which does not make him just, temperate, manly, free; and that there is nothing bad which does not do the contrary to what has been mentioned.
—Marcus Aurelius, Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus -
They are all in the same category, both those who are afflicted with fickleness, boredom and a ceaseless change of purpose, and who always yearn for what they have left behind, and those who just yawn from apathy. There are those too who toss around like insomniacs, and keep changing their position until they find rest through sheer weariness. They keep altering the condition of their lives, and eventually stick to that one in which they are trapped not by weariness with further change but by old age which is too sluggish for novelty. There are those too who suffer not from moral steadfastness but from inertia, and so lack the fickleness to live as they wish, and just live as they have begun. In fact there are innumerable characteristics of the malady, but one effect–dissatisfaction with oneself. This arises from mental instability and from fearful and unfulfilled desires, when men do not dare or do not achieve all they long for, and all they grasp at is hope: they are always unbalanced and fickle, an inevitable consequence of living in suspense.
—Seneca, On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It
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It is often said that insecurity is loud, and confidence is quiet.
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Others are often left to carry the burden of what you have not resolved in yourself, and because of this, the insecure person can become quite intolerable to associate with.
—Bonesaw MD -
Someone with absolutely nothing to prove, to yourself or to anyone else, and doesn’t require others’ admiration. Someone who has come clean with God in your transgressions and who is, in fact constantly coming clean with him. Transparent to God, you have broken the shackles of self-justification, constantly trying to rationalize your sins. You have attained the humility of accepting God’s love and forgiveness. Your goal is not to impress or to blame, and certainly not to judge anyone. That’s the freedom attained through humility and repentance.
How to Be a Sinner
Peter Bouteneff -
So we have to discern this concept of self-acceptance thoughtfully as well. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh said, in one of his informal talks to his parish, “Accept yourself, as a stone given to a sculptor. Accept how you are and that you need work to reveal the statue, i.e. what you truly can be.” In other words, reconcile yourself to being you, a beautiful creature but a work in progress. Accept also that you must give yourself over to God’s sculpting. Because there are elements that need refining and others that need excision to reveal the genuine you.
How to Be a Sinner
Peter Bouteneff
SO GOOD QUOTES 