Virtues Bloom Near. Marcus Aurelius 6.48

~ How can we improve our moral character? One method that Marcus recommends to himself: we should take time to see the best in the characters with whom we live. Railing at the wicked should not consume all, or the most important part, of our lives. ~

Ὅταν εὐφρᾶναι σεαυτὸν θέλῃς, ἐνθυμοῦ τὰ προτερήματα τῶν συμβιούντων· οἷον τοῦ μὲν τὸ δραστήριον, τοῦ δὲ τὸ αἰδῆμον, τοῦ δὲ τὸ εὐμετάδοτον, ἄλλου δὲ ἄλλο τι. οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως εὐφραίνει ὡς τὰ ὁμοιώματα τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐμφαινόμενα τοῖς ἤθεσι τῶν συζώντων καὶ ἀθρόα ὡς οἷόν τε συμπίπτοντα. διὸ καὶ πρόχειρα αὐτὰ ἑκτέον.

Whenever you wish to cheer yourself up, think on the real achievements of those who live with you. Consider the activity that one of them has, the modesty expressed by another, the generosity of a third, and so on. There is nothing so cheering as the appearance of virtues in the habits of our fellowmen, especially when these virtues manifest as close and thick as possible. For they are then right at your own hand, ready to be grasped.