Discourses - Book I   

Of progress or improvement

He who is making progress, having learned from philosophers that
desire means the desire of good things, and aversion means aversion
from bad things; having learned too that happiness and tranquillity
are not attainable by man otherwise than by not failing to obtain what
he desires, and not falling into that which he would avoid; such a man
takes from himself desire altogether and defers it, but he employs his
aversion only on things which are dependent on his will. For if he
attempts to avoid anything independent of his will, he knows that
sometimes he will fall in with something which he wishes to avoid, and
he will be unhappy. Now if virtue promises good fortune and
tranquillity and happiness, certainly also the progress toward
virtue is progress toward each of these things. For it is always
true that to whatever point the perfecting of anything leads us,
progress is an approach toward this point.
How then do we admit that virtue is such as I have said, and yet
seek progress in other things and make a display of it? What is the
product of virtue? Tranquillity. Who then makes improvement? It is
he who has read many books of Chrysippus? But does virtue consist in
having understood Chrysippus? If this is so, progress is clearly
nothing else than knowing a great deal of Chrysippus. But now we admit
that virtue produces one thing. and we declare that approaching near
to it is another thing, namely, progress or improvement. "Such a
person," says one, "is already able to read Chrysippus by himself."
Indeed, sir, you are making great progress. What kind of progress? But
why do you mock the man? Why do you draw him away from the
perception of his own misfortunes? Will you not show him the effect of
virtue that he may learn where to look for improvement? Seek it there,
wretch, where your work lies. And where is your work? In desire and in
aversion, that you may not be disappointed in your desire, and that
you may not fall into that which you would avoid; in your pursuit
and avoiding, that you commit no error; in assent and suspension of
assent, that you be not deceived. The first things, and the most
necessary, are those which I have named. But if with trembling and
lamentation you seek not to fall into that which you avoid, tell me
how you are improving.
Do you then show me your improvement in these things? If I were
talking to an athlete, I should say, "Show me your shoulders"; and
then he might say, "Here are my halteres." You and your halteres
look to that. I should reply, "I wish to see the effect of the
halteres." So, when you say: "Take the treatise on the active
powers, and see how I have studied it." I reply, "Slave, I am not
inquiring about this, but how you exercise pursuit and avoidance,
desire and aversion, how your design and purpose and prepare yourself,
whether conformably to nature or not. If conformably, give me evidence
of it, and I will say that you are making progress: but if not
conformably, be gone, and not only expound your books, but write
such books yourself; and what will you gain by it? Do you not know