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2021-12-03 13:24:54 Versatility

A man of many excellences equals many men. By imparting his own enjoyment of life to his circle he enriches their life. Variety in excellences is the delight of life. It is a great art to profit by all that is good, and since Nature has made man in his highest development an abstract of herself, so let Art create in him a true microcosm by training his taste and intellect.

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2021-12-03 13:21:54 The Key to Longevity

Make a good life for yourself. Two things hasten the end of life: foolishness and immorality. Some people lose their lives because they lack the intelligence to keep them, while others do so because they lack the will. Vice is its own penalty, just as virtue is its own reward. He who lives a fast life runs through life in a double sense. A life lived in virtue never dies. The firmness of the soul is communicated to the body, and a good life is long not only in intention but also in extension.

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2021-12-02 18:41:01 Beware of entering where there is a great Gap to be filled

But if you do it be sure to surpass your predecessor; merely to equal him requires twice his worth. As it is a fine stroke to arrange that our successor shall cause us to be wished back, so it is policy to see that our predecessor does not eclipse us. To fill a great gap is difficult, for the past always seems best, and to equal the predecessor is not enough, since he has the right of first possession. You must therefore possess additional claims to oust the other from his hold on public opinion.

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2021-12-02 11:37:01 Think beforehand

Today for tomorrow, and even for many days hence. The greatest foresight consists in determining beforehand the time of trouble. For the provident there are no mischances and for the careful no narrow escapes. We must not put off thought till we are up to the chin in mire. Mature reflection can get over the most formidable difficulty. The pillow is a silent Sibyl, and it is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards. Many act first and then think afterwards—that is, they think less of consequences than of excuses: others think neither before nor after. The whole of life should be one course of thought how not to miss the right path. Rumination and foresight enable one to determine the line of life.

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