Bad habits, bad character. Marcus Aurelius 4.28

Marcus warns himself to avoid nourishing the wrong habits. Having such habits is inevitable, of course, and his other notes suggest that we must work with them when they occur (in ourselves and others). But we don't want to encourage them at the expense of our better habits. Don't make your character most memorable to others from its worst expressions.

Μέλαν ἦθος, θῆλυ ἦθος, περισκελὲς ἦθος, θηριῶδες, βοσκηματῶδες, παιδαριῶδες, βλακικόν, κίβδηλον, βωμολόχον, καπηλικόν, τυραννικόν.

Some habits hide in the dark, brooding like possessive mothers, nourishing character that waxes fat and brutal, refusing adult responsibility to embrace indolence and fraud. This character will hang about the temple or the camp, stealing scraps from the altar and making low deals, becoming a law unto itself.