"Virtus" (John Owen)

     I rather liked my daily reading from Brevissima this morning - it's #180 in the collection, from John Owen (c. 1564-c.1628), Epigrammata 3.96. The text in Latin is:

Non est in verbis virtus, at rebus inhaeret;

Res sunt, non voces, spes amor atque fides.

Roughly rendered in English:

Virtue is not in words, but it is inherent in things [acts, deeds]

Hope, love, and faith are things [acts, deeds], not words.

The real problem with this one is that while the Latin is clear, the fact that no real English equivalent exists for the Latin noun res - it is most often rendered "thing," but can be anything from "matter," "topic of discussion," "affairs," to stuff like, "the universe," "government," and such. Here, much of the play of meaning hinges on the idea that to the Romans, the act of hoping, loving, or being faithful is every bit as much a concrete thing as a stone, to be contrasted with mere words. That contrast is not as plain in English, in my opinion.  

March 6th Reading from The Daily Stoic - Don't Tell Yourself Stories

"In public avoid talking excessively about your accomplishments and dangers, for however much you enjoy recounting your dangers, it's not so pleasant for others to hear about your affairs."

~ Epictetus, Enchiridion,u 33.14

March 5th Reading from The Daily Stoic - Cutting Back On the Costly

"So, concerning the things we pursue, and for which we vigorously exert ourselves, we owe this consideration - either there is nothing useful in them, or most aren't useful. Some of them are superfluous, while others aren't worth that much. But we don't discern this and see them as free, when they cost us dearly."

~ Seneca, Moral Letters, 42.6

March 4th Reading from The Daily Stoic - Awareness Is Freedom

"The person is free who lives as they wish, neither compelled, nor hindered, nor limited - whose choices aren't hampered, whose desires succeed, and who don't fall into what repels them. Who wished to live in deception - tripped up, mistaken, undisciplined, complaining, in a rut? No one. These are base people who don't live as they wish; and so, no base person is free."

~ Epictetus, Discourses, 4.1.1-3a

March 3rd Reading from The Daily Stoic - (Dis)Integration

"These things don't go together. You must be a unified human being, either good or bad. You must diligently work either on your own reasoning or on things out of your control - take great care with the inside and not what's outside, which is to say, stand with the philosopher, or else with the mob!"

~ Epictetus, Discourses, 3.15.13

March 2nd Reading from The Daily Stoic - Accurate Self-Assessment

"Above all, it is necessary for a person to have a true self-estimate, for we commonly think we can do more than we really can."

~ Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind, 5.2

March 1st Reading from The Daily Stoic - Where Philosophy Begins

"An important place to begin in philosophy is this: a clear perception of one's own ruling principle."

~ Epictetus, Discourses, 1.26.15