“No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.”
“Faced with pain, you will discover the power of endurance. If you are insulted, you will discover patience. In time, you will grow to be confident that there is not a single impression that you will not have the moral means to tolerate.”
“Is then the fruit of a fig-tree not perfect suddenly and in one hour, and would you possess the fruit of a man's mind in so short a time and so easily?”
“He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.”
“Fate leads the willing and drags along the reluctant.”
“When force of circumstance upsets your equanimity, lose no time in recovering your self-control, and do not remain out of tune longer than you can help. Habitual recurrence to the harmony will increase your mastery of it.”
“Only time can heal what reason cannot.”
“While we wait for life, life passes.”
“When you are offended at any man’s fault, immediately turn to yourself and reflect in what manner you yourself have erred.”
“The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.”