Be undismayed in spite of everything;
do not give up, despite everything; give way to no twist of fortune;
stand above envy; be content with yourself and think it no disaster
even if fortune, place, and time have conspired against you.
What saddens or refreshes you,
think it chosen for you; accept your fate, regret nothing,
do what must be done and before you are told to do it.
What you can hope for may happen any day.
What is it that we lament, or that we praise?
Each man is his own fortune and misfortune.
Look round at everything – all this is within you;
leave your empty delusion, and, before you go any farther, go back into yourself.
The man who is master of himself and can control himself
has the wide world and what is in it at his feet.
Paul Fleming
