Moral Letters to Lucilius Section 15

In ipsis positus difficultatibus dicat: Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit. Toto contra ille pugnet animo; vincetur, si cesserit, vincet, si se contra dolorem suum intenderit. Nunc hoc plerique faciunt, ad trahunt in se ruinam, cui obstandum est. Istud quod premit, quod inpendet, quod urget, si subducere te coeperis, sequetur et gravius incumbet; si contra steteris et obniti volueris, repelletur.

Au sein même des crises les plus difficiles, que l’homme se dise :

Ces souvenirs un jour peut-être auront leurs charmes!

Qu’il lutte de tout son courage contre la douleur : il sera vaincu, pour peu qu’il lui cède ; il la vaincra, s’il se roidit contre elle. Mais que font la plupart des hommes ? Ils attirent sur eux la chute du fardeau qu’ils devraient soutenir. Cette masse qui est tout proche, qui descend, qui déjà te pèse, si tu veux t’y soustraire te suit et croule plus accablante encore ; tiens ferme et redouble d’efforts, tu la repousseras.

But when set in the very midst of troubles one should say: Perchance some day the memory of this sorrow Will even bring delight. Let such a man fight against them with all his might: if he once gives way, he will be vanquished; but if he strives against his sufferings, he will conquer. As it is, however, what most men do is to drag down upon their own heads a falling ruin which they ought to try to support. If you begin to withdraw your support from that which thrusts toward you and totters and is ready to plunge, it will follow you and lean more heavily upon you; but if you hold your ground and make up your mind to push against it, it will be forced back.