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Read/Book IV/4.32
MED. 4.32Discipline of desire
George Long · 1862EN · Long

Consider, for example, the times of Vespasian1. Thou wilt see all these things, people marrying, bringing up children, sick, dying, warring, feasting, trafficking, cultivating the ground, flattering, obstinately arrogant, suspecting, plotting, wishing for some to die, grumbling about the present, loving, heaping up treasure, desiring consulship, kingly power. Well then, that life of these people no longer exists at all. Again, remove to the times of Trajan. Again, all is the same. Their life too is gone. EXERCISEIn like manner view also the other epochs of time and of whole nations, and see how many after great efforts soon fell and were resolved into the TERMelements. But chiefly thou shouldst think of those whom thou hast thyself known distracting themselves about idle things, DOGMAneglecting to do what was in accordance with their proper constitution, and to hold firmly to this and be content with it. And herein it is necessary to remember that EXERCISEthe attention given to everything has its proper value and proportion. For thus thou wilt not be dissatisfied, if thou appliest thyself to smaller matters no further than is fit.

Original · ancient Greek

Ἐπινόησον λόγου χάριν τοὺς ἐπὶ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ καιρούς, ὄψει τὰ αὐτὰ πάντα γαμοῦντας, παιδοτροφοῦντας, νοσοῦντας, ἀποθνῄσκοντας, πολεμοῦντας, ἑορτάζοντας, ἐμπορευομένους, γεωργοῦντας, κολακεύοντας, αὐθαδιζομένους, ὑποπτεύοντας, ἐπιβουλεύοντας, ἀποθανεῖν τινας εὐχομένους, γογγύζοντας ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν, ἐρῶντας, θησαυρίζοντας, ὑπατείας, βασιλείας ἐπιθυμοῦντας· οὐκοῦν ἐκεῖνος μὲν ὁ τούτων βίος οὐκέτι οὐδαμοῦ.

πάλιν ἐπὶ τοὺς καιροὺς τοὺς Τραιανοῦ μετάβηθι· πάλιν τὰ αὐτὰ πάντα· τέθνηκε κἀκεῖνος ὁ βίος. ὁμοίως καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἐπιγραφὰς χρόνων καὶ ὅλων ἐθνῶν ἐπιθεώρει καὶ βλέπε, πόσοι κατενταθέντες μετὰ μικρὸν ἔπεσον καὶ ἀνελύθησαν εἰς τὰ στοιχεῖα· μάλιστα δὲ ἀναπολητέον ἐκείνους, οὓς αὐτὸς ἔγνως κενὰ σπωμένους, ἀφέντας ποιεῖν τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν κατασκευὴν καὶ τούτου ἀπρὶξ ἔχεσθαι καὶ τούτῳ ἀρκεῖσθαι. ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ὧδε τὸ μεμνῆσθαι, ὅτι καὶ ἡ ἐπιστροφὴ καθ’ ἑκάστην πρᾶξιν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν ἔχει καὶ συμμετρίαν· οὕτως γὰρ οὐκ ἀποδυσπετήσεις, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον, ἢ προσῆκε, περὶ τὰ ἐλάσσω καταγίνῃ.

Leopold · Teubner 1908
Commentary

Genre and place in the book. An extended "view from above" in time: whole epochs with their ordinary bustle — and "that life is now nowhere." Then a turn to the personal (recall acquaintances who chased vanities), and a practical coefficient: the measure of attention is set by the worth of the task.

Epochs as one. The long list of doings (marrying, sick, warring, flattering, craving consulships and thrones) under Vespasian — and all of it "οὐκέτι οὐδαμοῦ," nowhere; the same under Trajan. The succeeding "inscriptions of the times" (ἐπιγραφαὶ χρόνων) are like the epitaphs of whole eras. The EXERCISEview from above in its temporal mode (cf. Med. 8.31 — Augustus' court all dead; 6.47; 4.33 — the oblivion of names).

Resolution into the elements. πόσοι κατενταθέντες (having strained for an end) μετὰ μικρὸν ἔπεσον καὶ ἀνελύθησαν εἰς τὰ TERMστοιχεῖα — how many fell and were resolved into the elements. Death as return into the elements (cf. 04-05, 04-21); here the memory of death is in the service of the view from above.

Vanity versus one's own task. Above all — recall those you knew yourself: they chased empty things (κενά), abandoning to act "according to their own constitution" (κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν κατασκευήν), failing to hold to it and be content with it. This is the antithesis of 04-30/04-31 (love and hold to your own, be content) → DOGMAself-sufficiency against the vanity of ambition (consulships, thrones — empty).

The measure of attention. The close is practical: "the attention (ἐπιστροφή) given to each act has its own worth (ἀξία) and proportion (συμμετρία)"; do not invest in a trifle more than is due — then you will not be discouraged (ἀποδυσπετήσεις). This is EXERCISEattention dosed by the importance of the task (cf. 04-24 — do the necessary, cut the superfluous). (ἀξία here is "the importance of a task," not the technical "value of an indifferent.")

The disciplines. The principal one is desire: the view from above relativises ambition (consulships, thrones) and the clinging to outcomes. The secondary is action: to hold to one's own task and to dose effort by importance.

Parallels. Whole epochs have passed — Med. 8.31; 6.47; 4.33 (cf. EXERCISEview-from-above). Resolution into the elements — 04-05; 04-21; Med. 8.18 (cf. TERMstoicheia). Vanity vs one's own task — 04-30; 04-31; 04-24 (cf. DOGMAvirtue-is-sufficient). The measure of attention by the task — 04-24 (cf. EXERCISEprosokhe).

DisciplineDiscipline of desire
Record added2026-06-26
Statuspublished
Read·Book IV
Discipline of desire

George Long · 1862· EN · Long

Consider, for example, the times of Vespasian1. Thou wilt see all these things, people marrying, bringing up children, sick, dying, warring, feasting, trafficking, cultivating the ground, flattering, obstinately arrogant, suspecting, plotting, wishing for some to die, grumbling about the present, loving, heaping up treasure, desiring consulship, kingly power. Well then, that life of these people no longer exists at all. Again, remove to the times of Trajan. Again, all is the same. Their life too is gone. EXERCISEIn like manner view also the other epochs of time and of whole nations, and see how many after great efforts soon fell and were resolved into the TERMelements. But chiefly thou shouldst think of those whom thou hast thyself known distracting themselves about idle things, DOGMAneglecting to do what was in accordance with their proper constitution, and to hold firmly to this and be content with it. And herein it is necessary to remember that EXERCISEthe attention given to everything has its proper value and proportion. For thus thou wilt not be dissatisfied, if thou appliest thyself to smaller matters no further than is fit.

Original · ancient Greek

Ἐπινόησον λόγου χάριν τοὺς ἐπὶ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ καιρούς, ὄψει τὰ αὐτὰ πάντα γαμοῦντας, παιδοτροφοῦντας, νοσοῦντας, ἀποθνῄσκοντας, πολεμοῦντας, ἑορτάζοντας, ἐμπορευομένους, γεωργοῦντας, κολακεύοντας, αὐθαδιζομένους, ὑποπτεύοντας, ἐπιβουλεύοντας, ἀποθανεῖν τινας εὐχομένους, γογγύζοντας ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν, ἐρῶντας, θησαυρίζοντας, ὑπατείας, βασιλείας ἐπιθυμοῦντας· οὐκοῦν ἐκεῖνος μὲν ὁ τούτων βίος οὐκέτι οὐδαμοῦ.

πάλιν ἐπὶ τοὺς καιροὺς τοὺς Τραιανοῦ μετάβηθι· πάλιν τὰ αὐτὰ πάντα· τέθνηκε κἀκεῖνος ὁ βίος. ὁμοίως καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἐπιγραφὰς χρόνων καὶ ὅλων ἐθνῶν ἐπιθεώρει καὶ βλέπε, πόσοι κατενταθέντες μετὰ μικρὸν ἔπεσον καὶ ἀνελύθησαν εἰς τὰ στοιχεῖα· μάλιστα δὲ ἀναπολητέον ἐκείνους, οὓς αὐτὸς ἔγνως κενὰ σπωμένους, ἀφέντας ποιεῖν τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν κατασκευὴν καὶ τούτου ἀπρὶξ ἔχεσθαι καὶ τούτῳ ἀρκεῖσθαι. ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ὧδε τὸ μεμνῆσθαι, ὅτι καὶ ἡ ἐπιστροφὴ καθ’ ἑκάστην πρᾶξιν ἰδίαν ἀξίαν ἔχει καὶ συμμετρίαν· οὕτως γὰρ οὐκ ἀποδυσπετήσεις, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον, ἢ προσῆκε, περὶ τὰ ἐλάσσω καταγίνῃ.

Leopold · Teubner 1908
Marginalia1
Related4
TERMστοιχεῖαelements, first principlesDOGMAVirtue is sufficient for happinessEXERCISEThe view from aboveEXERCISEProsochē — attention to the present action
Commentary

Genre and place in the book. An extended "view from above" in time: whole epochs with their ordinary bustle — and "that life is now nowhere." Then a turn to the personal (recall acquaintances who chased vanities), and a practical coefficient: the measure of attention is set by the worth of the task.

Epochs as one. The long list of doings (marrying, sick, warring, flattering, craving consulships and thrones) under Vespasian — and all of it "οὐκέτι οὐδαμοῦ," nowhere; the same under Trajan. The succeeding "inscriptions of the times" (ἐπιγραφαὶ χρόνων) are like the epitaphs of whole eras. The EXERCISEview from above in its temporal mode (cf. Med. 8.31 — Augustus' court all dead; 6.47; 4.33 — the oblivion of names).

Resolution into the elements. πόσοι κατενταθέντες (having strained for an end) μετὰ μικρὸν ἔπεσον καὶ ἀνελύθησαν εἰς τὰ TERMστοιχεῖα — how many fell and were resolved into the elements. Death as return into the elements (cf. 04-05, 04-21); here the memory of death is in the service of the view from above.

Vanity versus one's own task. Above all — recall those you knew yourself: they chased empty things (κενά), abandoning to act "according to their own constitution" (κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν κατασκευήν), failing to hold to it and be content with it. This is the antithesis of 04-30/04-31 (love and hold to your own, be content) → DOGMAself-sufficiency against the vanity of ambition (consulships, thrones — empty).

The measure of attention. The close is practical: "the attention (ἐπιστροφή) given to each act has its own worth (ἀξία) and proportion (συμμετρία)"; do not invest in a trifle more than is due — then you will not be discouraged (ἀποδυσπετήσεις). This is EXERCISEattention dosed by the importance of the task (cf. 04-24 — do the necessary, cut the superfluous). (ἀξία here is "the importance of a task," not the technical "value of an indifferent.")

The disciplines. The principal one is desire: the view from above relativises ambition (consulships, thrones) and the clinging to outcomes. The secondary is action: to hold to one's own task and to dose effort by importance.

Parallels. Whole epochs have passed — Med. 8.31; 6.47; 4.33 (cf. EXERCISEview-from-above). Resolution into the elements — 04-05; 04-21; Med. 8.18 (cf. TERMstoicheia). Vanity vs one's own task — 04-30; 04-31; 04-24 (cf. DOGMAvirtue-is-sufficient). The measure of attention by the task — 04-24 (cf. EXERCISEprosokhe).

DisciplineDiscipline of desire
Record added2026-06-26
Statuspublished