Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

156 MARCUS ANTONINUS BOOK
for giving our nature play we should view as a
form of enjoyment. Atfd the opening is always
there. The cylinder indeed cannot always enjoy
its proper motion ; neither can water, nor fire, nor
things which are at the disposition
organic
of the lower
nature or of irrational soul : in their case
lets and obstacles abound. But mind and reason
have the power of finding a way at will through
every impediment.
Picture the facility with which
reason will find itself a way, as that by which fire
ascends, or a stone drops, or a cylinder rolls
downhill it leaves nothing more to crave for.
Remaining interferences either affect the body only,
which is a dead thing, or else, apart from the
assumptions and admissions of reason itself, have
no power to crush or to inflict any injury what-
soever ; otherwise the person exposed to them
would thereby be injured. For observe in the
case of all other forms of being, any injury be-
falling them implies deterioration of the object ;
but in this case the man is one may say bettered
and improved, by making good use of circum-
stances. Nothing in fine can hurt the true citizen,
which does not hurt the city ; and nothing can
hurt the city, which does not first hurt Law. But