"Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view. It's not activity that disturbs people, but false conceptions of things that drive them mad."
~ Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind, 12.5
I note that on the surface, this seems perplexing advice to many beginning Stoics. Have an end in mind when you begin something? But surely that is an external, something beyond your control? So why? Ah, but there is a difference between aiming at a target (which is sensible) and assuming that you will or must hit the target (which is outside your control, ultimately, and therefore not a sensible thing to do). You do your best, do what you can to succeed, and then accept the fact that success is out of your control. But always aim for success.
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