Fragment 191

191. Cheerfulness arises from moderation in pleasure and harmony in life. Excess and deficiency alike tend to bring change and cause great disturbance in the soul. Souls agitated by great disparities are neither stable nor cheerful. One should therefore fix one’s mind on what is attainable, be content with what one has, pay little attention to envied and admired things, and not dwell on them. Instead, consider the lives of those who suffer hardship, reflect on their severe trials, so that one’s own condition appears fortunate, and by ceasing to desire more, one may cease to suffer inwardly. For the man who continually admires those who possess much and are called happy is driven to endless new undertakings and risks, through desire, of committing irreparable acts forbidden by law. One must therefore seek contentment, compare one’s life with those worse off, and regard oneself as fortunate. By maintaining this outlook, one will live more calmly and drive away envy, jealousy, and spite.