Privacy Policy

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. For indeed, to obtain a brief reprieve, who would not seek to alleviate the burden of labor, so that the resulting benefit might be achieved? But the pain of this endeavor is such that it is not to be taken lightly; it is a burden that must be borne with patience and perseverance.

But so that you may understand where all this error originates—the error that accuses pleasure and praises pain—I will lay bare the whole matter, and explain those very things that were spoken by the inventor of truth and, as it were, the architect of the happy life. For no one ever seeks pleasure simply because it is pleasure, but rather because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally are followed by great pains. Nor is there anyone who loves pain itself, because it is pain, or seeks to acquire it; but because there are times when such pain occurs, they seek great pleasure through labor and pain. For indeed, to put it simply, who among us would willingly undergo the laborious exercise of the body unless it were to yield some benefit? And who would justly reproach him who seeks to be in that pleasure rather than suffer any inconvenience, or him who flees from pain because no pleasure can equal it?

But we condemn those who, blinded by greed, fail to foresee the pains and troubles they will inevitably face—those who are corrupted by the allure of present pleasures—and we regard them with justifiable hatred. Equally at fault are those who shirk their duties out of a softness of spirit, that is, a flight from labor and pain. And indeed, a clear and straightforward distinction between these matters is easy to make. For in our free time, when we are free to choose and nothing prevents us from doing what we most desire, every pleasure must be embraced, and every pain must be rejected. However, in certain times—whether due to necessary duties or the demands of life—it will often happen that pleasures must be rejected and hardships cannot be avoided. Therefore, the wise person must choose between these matters, so that either by rejecting lesser pleasures he may attain greater ones, or by enduring harsher pains he may repel them.