Moral Letters to Lucilius Section 49

Permitte mihi, Lucili virorum optime, aliquid audacius dicere: si ulla bona maiora esse aliis possent, haec ego, quae tristia videntur, mollibus illis et debeatis praetulissem, haec maiora dixissem. Maius est enim difficilia perfringere quam laeta moderari.

Permets-moi, vertueux Lucilius, une assertion plus hardie
encore : si jamais biens pouvaient être plus grands que d’autres, selon moi ceux dont l’apparence rebute auraient ce privilège sur ceux qui ont pour éléments la mollesse et la sensualité. Il est plus grand de rompre les difficultés que de modérer ses joies.

Allow me, excellent Lucilius, to utter a still bolder word: if any goods could be greater than others, I should prefer those which seem harsh to those which are mild and alluring, and should pronounce them greater. For it is more of an accomplishment to break one’s way through difficulties than to keep joy within bounds.