Do not copy the bad simply because they are many,

Nor hate the many because they are unlike you.

On Crowds

Do you ask me what you should regard as especially to be avoided? I say,

crowds;

for as yet you cannot trust yourself to them with safety.

I shall admit my own weakness, at any rate; for I never bring back home the same character that I took abroad with me. Something of that which I have forced to be calm within me is disturbed; some of the foes that I have routed return again.

To consort with the crowd is harmful;

there is no person who does not make some vice attractive to us, or stamp it upon us, or taint us unconsciously therewith.

Certainly, the greater the mob with which we mingle, the greater the danger.

But nothing is so damaging to good character as the habit of lounging at the games; for then it is that vice steals subtly upon one through the avenue of pleasure. 

What do you think I mean? I mean that I come home more greedy, more ambitious, more voluptuous, & even more cruel & inhuman,

– because I have been among human beings.

Come now; do you not understand even this truth, that a bad example reacts on the agent?

The young character, which cannot hold fast to righteousness, must be rescued from the mob; it is too easy to side with the majority.

Even Socrates, Cato, & Laelius might have been shaken in their moral strength by a crowd that was unlike them; so true it is that none of us, no matter how much One cultivates their abilities, can withstand the shock of faults that approach, as it were, with so great a retinue. 

Much harm is done by a single case of indulgence or greed;

the familiar friend, if they be luxurious, weakens & softens us imperceptibly;

the neighbour, if they be rich, rouses our covetousness;

the companion, if they be slanderous, rubs off some of their rust upon us, even though we be spotless & sincere.

What then do you think the effect will be on character, when the world at large assaults it!

You must either imitate or loathe the world.

But both courses are to be avoided;

you should not copy the bad simply because they are many,

nor should you hate the many because they are unlike you.

Withdraw into yourself, as far as you can. Associate with those who will make a better person of you. Welcome those whom you yourself can improve. The process is mutual; for people learn while they teach. 

There is no reason why pride in advertising your abilities should lure you into publicity, so that you should desire to recite or harangue before the general public.

One or two individuals will perhaps come in your way, but even these will have to be molded & trained by you so that they will understand you.

You may say: “For what purpose did I learn all these things?”

But you need not fear that you have wasted your efforts;

it was for yourself that you learned them.

In order, however, that I may not to-day have learned exclusively for myself, I shall share with you three excellent sayings, of the same general purport, which have come to my attention.

This letter will give you one of them as payment of my debt; the other two you may accept as a contribution in advance.

Democritus says:

“One person means as much to me as a multitude, & a multitude only as much as one person.” 

The following; they asked them what was the object of all this study applied to an art that would reach but very few. They replied:

“I am content with few, content with one, content with none at all.”

The third saying – & a noteworthy one, too – is by Epicurus:

“I write this not for the many, but for you; each of us is enough of an audience for the other.” 

Lay these words to heart, Lucilius, that you may scorn the pleasure which comes from the applause of the majority. Many people praise you; but have you any reason for being pleased with yourself, if you are a person whom the many can understand?

Your good qualities should face inwards.

…

Farewell。

Stoic, Seneca, StoicTaoist。

为何不寻找人群呢？

不要简单地抄袭它，只 因为它是多数，

也不要因为它与你不同，而憎恨他们。

在人群中

你问我你认为什么是特别应该避免的？我说，

人群；

因为到目前为止，你还不能把自己安全地交给他们。

无论如何，我要承认我自己的弱点；因为我从来没有把我带到外的那性格带回来。我强迫内心平静的东西被扰乱了；我击溃的那些敌人又回来了。

与群众交涉是有害的；

没有人不让某些恶习而吸引，或不把它印在身上，或不自觉地玷污了我们。

当然，我们与之交往的人群越多，危险就越大。

但是，没有什么比在会上，懒洋洋的习惯更能损害良好的品行了；因为正是这样，恶习通过欲乐之路潜移默化地向人袭来。

你认为我是什么意思？我的意思是我回家后更贪婪，更野心勃勃，更淫荡，甚至更残忍，更不人道，

–因为我于人群中交涉。

现在；你难道连这个事实都不明白吗，一个坏榜样会对人产生影响？

不能坚守正义的年轻人必须从暴民中解救出来；站在大多数人一边太容易了。

即使是苏格拉底、卡托和莱利厄斯，他们的道德力量也可能会被一群与他们不同的人所动摇；诚然，无论我们如何培养自己的能力，我们中没有一个人能够承受如此庞大的随从所带来的失误的冲击。

纵容或贪婪的单一案例造成了巨大的伤害；

好朋友，如果他们很奢侈，会在不知不觉中削弱和软化我们；

邻居如果富有，就会激起我们的贪婪；

即使我们一尘不染、诚恳，同伴如果诽谤我们，也会在我们身上留下一些污垢。

那么，当整个世界都在攻击人格时，你认为人格会受到什么样的影响呢！

你要么模仿世界，要么厌恶世界。

但这两条路都要避免；

你不要简单地抄袭它，只因为它是多数，

你也不要因为它与你不同，而憎恨他们。

尽你所能地融入自己。与那些能使你成为更好的人交往。欢迎那些你自己可以改进的人。这个过程是相互的；因为我们边教边学。

没有理由为你的能力做选传而感到自豪，只为吸引公众的视线，儿你渴望在公众面前朗诵或高谈阔论。

可能会有一两个人认同你，但即使是这些人也必须由你塑造和训练，以便他们理解你。

你可能会说：“我学习这些东西的目的是什么？”

但是你不必担心你浪费了你的努力；

你是为自己而学。

然而，为了使我今天不至于只为自己而学，我将与你们分享我注意到的三句具有同样普遍意义的绝妙格言。

这封信将给你其中一封作为我的债务偿还；另外两个您可以提前接受作为供款。

德谟克利特说：

“对我来说，一个人和一大群人一样重要，一大群人只和一个人一样重要。”

以下内容：；他们问，这项研究的目的是什么，应用于一门艺术，但涉及面很小。他们回答说：

“我满足于少数人，满足于一人，满足于一无所有。”

第三句话——也是一句值得注意的话——出自伊壁鸠鲁之手：

“我写这篇文章不是为了很多人，而是为了你；你我是对方的听众足已。”

卢西柳斯，把这些话牢记在心，这样你就可以蔑视来自大多数人掌声的喜悦。许多人赞美你；但是，如果你是一个大多数人都能理解的人，你有什么理由对自己感到满意吗？

你的优秀品质应该面向内心。

…

再会。

斯多葛，塞内卡，坚道学。

Nothing is pleasant to possess, without someone to share.

Many lacked not a friend, but a friendship.

The living voice & the intimacy of a common life will help you more than the written word.

First, because people put more faith in their eyes than in their ears, &
Second, because the way is long if one follows precepts,
– but short & helpful, if one follows patterns.

On Sharing Knowledge

I feel, my dear Lucilius, that I am being not only reformed, but transformed.

I do not yet, however, assure myself, or indulge the hope, that there are no elements left in me which need to be changed.

Of course there are many that should be made more compact, or made thinner, or be brought into greater prominence.

And indeed this very fact is proof that my spirit is altered into something better, – that it can see its own faults, of which it was previously ignorant.

I therefore wish to impart to you this sudden change in myself; I should then begin to place a surer trust in our friendship,

– the true friendship which hope & fear & self-interest cannot sever, the friendship in which & for the sake of which people meet death.

I can show you many who have lacked, not a friend, but a friendship;

this, however, cannot possibly happen when souls are drawn together by identical inclinations into an alliance of honourable desires.

And why can it not happen?
Because in such cases people know that they have all things in common, especially their troubles.

You cannot conceive what distinct progress I notice that each day brings to me.

And when you say: “Give me also a share in these gifts which you have found so helpful,”
I reply that I am anxious to heap all these privileges upon you, & that I am glad to learn in order that I may teach.

Nothing will ever please me, no matter how excellent or beneficial, if I must retain the knowledge of it to myself.

And if wisdom were given me under the express condition that it must be kept hidden & not uttered, I should refuse it.

No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it.

I shall therefore send to you the actual books; & in order that you may not waste time in searching here & there for profitable topics, I shall mark certain passages, so that you can turn at once to those which I approve and admire.

Of course, however, the living voice & the intimacy of a common life will help you more than the written word.

You must go to the scene of action,
first, because people put more faith in their eyes than in their ears, &
second, because the way is long if one follows precepts, but short & helpful, if one follows patterns.

Cleanthes could not have been the express image of Zeno, if One had merely heard his lectures;
he shared in his life, saw into his hidden purposes, & watched him to see whether he lived according to his own rules.

Plato, Aristotle, & the whole throng of sages who were destined to go each their different way, derived more benefit from the character than from the words of Socrates.

It was not the class-room of Epicurus, but living together under the same roof, that made great sages of Metrodorus, Hermarchus, & Polyaenus.

Therefore I summon you, not merely that you may derive benefit, but that you may confer benefit; for we can assist each other greatly.

Meanwhile, I owe you my little daily contribution; you shall be told what pleased me to-day in the writings of Hecato;

That was indeed a great benefit; such a person can never be alone.

it is these words:

I have begun to be a friend to myself.

…

Farewell。

Stoic, Seneca, StoicTaoist。

如何分享？

如没有人分享，没有什么是值得拥有的。

许多人缺少的不是朋友，而是友谊。

生活知音和普通生活的亲密感比文字对你的帮助更大。

首先，因为人们对眼睛比对耳朵更信任

第二，因为遵守戒律的路是漫长的，

-但是，如果一个人遵循模式的话，简短而有用。

论知识共享

亲爱的卢西利乌斯，我觉得我不仅在改造，而且在被改造。

然而，我还不能向自己保证，也不能放纵自己的希望，我的内心没有任何需要改变的因素。

当然，也有许多需要做得更紧凑、更薄或更突出。

事实上，正是这一事实证明了我的精神被改变成了更好的东西——它可以看到自己的错误，而它以前对此一无所知。

因此，我希望告诉你们我自己的这种突然变化；然后我应该开始更加信任我们的友谊，

——希望、恐惧和私利无法割断的真正友谊，人们在其中为之死亡的友谊。

我可以向你们展示许多人所缺少的，不是朋友，而是友谊；

然而，这不可能发生，当灵魂被相同的倾向拉到一起，成为一个高尚欲望的联盟。

为什么不能发生呢？

因为在这种情况下，人们知道他们有所有的共同点，特别是他们的烦恼。

你无法想象我注意到的每一天给我带来的显著进步。

当你说：“也给我一份你觉得非常有用的礼物吧，”

我回答说，我急于把所有这些特权都加在你们身上，我很高兴学习，以便我可以教学。

如果我必须把它的知识留给自己，无论它多么优秀或有益，都不会让我高兴。

如果智慧是在明确的条件下给予我的，而它必须隐藏起来&不能说出来，我会拒绝它。

没有朋友分享的东西，是不会令人愉快的。

因此，我将向您送实际的书籍；&为了不让你们浪费时间到处寻找有利可图的话题，我将标记某些段落，以便你们可以立即转向我赞同和钦佩的段落。

当然，生活的知音&普通生活中的亲密感对你的帮助远大于文字。

你必须行动，

首先，因为人们对眼睛比对耳朵更信任

第二，因为如果一个人遵循戒律，道路是漫长的，但是如果一个人遵循生活式，道路是短暂而有益的。

如果一个人仅仅听了芝诺的演讲，那么克朗提斯就不可能成为芝诺的形象；

他分享自己的生活，了解自己隐藏的目的，观察自己是否按照自己的规则生活。

柏拉图、亚里士多德和所有注定要各奔前程的圣人，都从这个人物身上得到了比苏格拉底的话更多的好处。

这不是伊壁鸠鲁的教室，而是住在同一个屋檐下，造就了Metrodorus、Hermarchus和Polyaenus的伟大圣人。

所以我召你来，不仅是要你得益，也是因为我们可以互相帮助而得益。

同时，我还欠你我每天的一点贡献；今天，我会用赫卡托的著作告诉你我喜欢的东西；

这确实是一大好处；这样的人永远不会孤单。

是这样的话：

我已经开始成为自己的朋友。

…

再会。

斯多葛，塞内卡，坚道学。