HKB
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Often appears with: will, choice, and freedom · temperance and self-mastery · pleasure, pain, and the good life · control of thoughts · contentment · changing desires
Usually: reflection (1) · temptation (1) · resignation (1)
His third maxim teaches that he should conquer himself rather than fortune, change desires instead of the world, and accept that only thoughts are truly under his control, enabling contentment even without external goods.
useth to perplex the consciences of those weak and staggering minds, which inconstantly suffer themselves to passe to the practice of those things as good, which they afterwards judge evill. My third Maxime was, To endevour always rather to conquer my self then Fortune; and to change my desires, rather then the order of the world: and generally to accustome my self to beleeve, That there is nothing wholly in our pow…