The Virtues of a Man

Virtus, repulsae nescia sordidae,

intaminatis fulget honoribus,

  nec sumit aut ponit securis

   arbitrio popularis aurae.

[Virtue, ignorant of sordid repulse, 

 gleams with unstained honours, 

      and neither takes up nor lays down the axes of power 

           at the whim of the popular breeze.]

οὐ γὰρ ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς γίγνεται ἐν πολέμῳ

εἰ μὴ τετλαίη μὲν ὁρῶν φόνον αἱματόεντα,

καὶ δηΐων ὀρέγοιτ’ ἐγγύθεν ἱστάμενος.

ἥδ’ ἀρετή, τόδ’ ἄεθλον ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἄριστον

κάλλιστόν τε φέρειν γίγνεται ἀνδρὶ νέῳ.

[For no man proves himself good in war

unless he can endure to look upon bloody slaughter,

and, standing close, lunge for the enemy.

This is excellence, this is the finest prize among men,

the fairest thing for a young man to win.]

परशु और तप, ये दोनों वीरों के ही होते श्रृंगार,

क्लीव न तो तप ही करता है, न तो उठा सकता तलवार।

तप से मनुज दिव्य बनता है, षड् विकार से लड़ता है,

तन की समर-भूमि में लेकिन, काम खड्ग ही करता है।

[The battle-axe and austerity—both of these are the adornment of heroes alone.

An impotent man can neither perform true penance, nor can he lift a sword.

Through penance, a human being becomes divine; he battles against the six inner vices.

But on the battlefield of the body, the sword alone does the work."]

Preamble

Morality.

A subjective construct, largely treated as objective by a majority of the world. The source of moral authority differs in every culture; some attribute it to God, others to society, and still others treat it as an unchangeable attribute of the universe. 

The recognition that morality is subjective normally leads to three possible philosophies in life: nihilism, absurdism, and existentialism. I have always leaned towards the latter, and as such an important question arose in my life: if there is no objective morality, what rules do I live by?

The life I have lived, the gut conditioned by my particular upbringing - it responds to different stimuli with different reactions. The code I have attempted to form is the codification of that base impulse, drawing on ancient traditions to express my thoughts in the words of those far more eloquent than me. The sources I cite ground their authority in greater, objective forces - I deliberately separate their quotations from their context, so that they serve to reflect my vision.

This is, to be specific, a personal code and a philosophical thesis. It is what I believe the good life is, and looks like. It is as aesthetic as it is moral.

The document I have compiled, is as much an elucidation of my principles as it is an exhortation to live by them, especially when it is difficult to do so.

The words and concepts I have compiled here do not necessarily reflect what the original speakers who used these words meant, when they used them. Nor are my values entirely those of Cicero, or of Dienekes, or of Aristotle. I have drawn on several cultures while formulating the code, because each of them offers a certain facet that I consider essential to my code, which the other cultures may lack. The passion of the Spartans, the decorum and dignitas of the Romans, the clear-eyed view of reality taken by Bhishma of the Mahabharata... these disparate elements have been combined to assist me in the full expression of the code.

Above all, the most modern element of my code is its individualism - not in the shallow sense of doing what you want to do, but in the metaphysical sense of living a life entirely oriented around the self. This, of course, includes the parts of the self that exist purely or primarily in relation to other men, and the world at large. The concepts of dignitas and decus are largely social in effect. The individualism I speak of, then, simply locates the locus of moral authority within the self. Acts like sacrifice for loved ones, or loyalty, or upholding the word one has given, then, are not for the benefit of another but because such acts align with my self-conception. Every quote I have compiled here has been chosen with that principle in mind.

That, of course, was the preamble. This is the code, independent of that.

The Virtues of A Man; Or; The Concepts that Define a Life Well-Lived

Arete - Excellence. The complete realisation of one’s true purpose. The knife that cuts well possesses arete. The man that lives to the fullest of his capabilities, lives with arete. To paraphrase Socrates, it is a shame for a man to grow old without knowing the glory he is capable of. 

Andreia - Masculinity. Courage, not as the absence of fear, but the mastery of it. It is what animated the Spartans at Thermopylae, what animated Horatius Cocles at the bridge. The courage to do what one believes is right, regardless of the consequences one may face for it. The courage to live for his convictions, in the face of adversity. 

Sōphrosýnē - Discipline. The mastery of the self. The recognition that the self has desires, and these desires do not need to be denied, but they do need to be controlled. It is the senses as the horses, and the mind as the charioteer – an image as familiar to the Ancient Greeks as it was to Ancient Indians. A great philosopher once said, I think, something along the lines of this: “Would you rule the world? Rule your own mind, then.”

To conquer the self, is the first step all men must take before achievement of any kind is made possible.

To quote Cicero on the virtue of [sōphrosýnē], which he further links to arete and the Roman dignitas and decus:

“But it belongs to every question of duty to have always at hand, insofar as the nature of man precedes that of cattle and other animals; they feel nothing but pleasure and are driven to it with every impulse, but the mind of man is nourished by learning and thinking, always either inquiring or acting on something and is led by the delight of seeing and hearing. Moreover, if anyone is a little more inclined to pleasures, provided that he is not of the cattle race (for some are men not in reality, but in name), but if anyone is a little more erect, although he is taken with pleasure, he hides and dissimulates the desire for pleasure because of shame.

From which it is understood that bodily pleasure is not sufficiently worthy of man's excellence and that it should be despised and rejected, and if there is anyone who attributes anything to pleasure, he should diligently observe the mode of its enjoyment. Therefore the diet and cultivation of the body should be referred to health and strength, not to pleasure. And also, if we wish to consider what excellence and dignity there is in nature, we will understand how shameful it is to indulge in luxury and live delicately and softly, and how honorable it is to live sparingly, continently, severely, and soberly.”

Kleos - Glory. The hunger to etch one’s names in the annals of history. To know, in the moments of your death, that you have lived a life so glorious it will be remembered for centuries afterwards. Not to change the world, or for the pursuit of ephemeral fame. It is the impact one leaves on the world, that says – This man lived. 

A further elucidation:

ANDREIA (ἀνδρεία) — Courage; the mastery of fear, not its absence.

ONE — Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 3.7, 1115a–b

"The courageous man is proof against fear so far as man may be. Hence although he will sometimes fear even terrors not beyond man's endurance, he will do so in the right way, and he will endure them as principle dictates, for the sake of what is noble; for that is the end at which virtue aims."

"He that endures or fears the right things and for the right purpose and in the right manner and at the right time, and who shows confidence in a similar way—this is the courageous man."

TWO — Homer, Iliad 9.410–416 — The choice that defines kleos and andreia together

"My mother the goddess, silver-footed Thetis, telleth me that twofold fates are bearing me toward the doom of death: if I abide here and war about the city of the Trojans, then lost is my home-return, but my renown shall be imperishable; but if I return home to my dear native land, lost then is my glorious renown, yet shall my life long endure, neither shall the doom of death come soon upon me."

THREE — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.40 — Pericles' Funeral Oration

"We Athenians are able to judge the right course even if we do not work it out in advance, while others need to be taught what to do. We are unique in that we regard the man who does not take his part in public affairs not as one who minds his own business, but as useless. And we ourselves can both make sound judgments and fight well; with others, courage (andreia) comes from ignorance, and calculation brings hesitation. But those men should rightly be deemed the bravest who understand clearly both what is terrible and what is pleasant, and yet do not turn away from danger."

FOUR — Herodotus, Histories 7.226 — Dienekes at Thermopylae

"The Spartan Dienekes is said to have proved himself the best man of all at Thermopylae. They report that before they engaged the Medes, a man from Trachis told Dienekes that when the barbarians shot their arrows, the multitude of the shafts would hide the sun. Dienekes, not at all frightened, but making light of the Median numbers, answered: 'Our Trachinian friend brings us excellent tidings. If the Medes darken the sun, then we shall fight them in the shade, and not in the heat.'"

FIVE — Plato, Laches 192b–192d — Laches' definition of courage

LACHES: "I take courage to be a certain endurance present in one's character."

SOCRATES: "Now, this is how it appears to me: by no means every kind of endurance can appear to you to be bravery."

LACHES: "So, by your account, wise endurance will be courage."

SOCRATES: "Apparently."

SIX — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 2.43 — Pericles on the fallen

"So died these men as became Athenians. You, their survivors, must determine to have as unfaltering a resolution in the field, though you may pray that it may have a happier issue. And do not content yourselves with the bravery of words, unless you have in your hearts that courage which comes from a noble spirit. Take these men as your examples. Judging happiness to be the fruit of freedom, and freedom of courage, never decline the dangers of war."

SEVEN — Plutarch, Moralia 241 — The Spartan mother's farewell

"Another Spartan woman, as she handed her son his shield, exhorted him: 'Either with this, or on this.'"

Ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς.

EIGHT — Homer, Iliad 6.440–446 — Hector to Andromache

"All this weighs on my mind too, dear woman. But I would die of shame to face the men of Troy and the Trojan women trailing their long robes if I would shrink from battle now, a coward. Nor does my own heart urge me to do that, for I have learned to be brave always, and to fight in the forefront of the Trojans, seeking to win great glory for my father, and for myself."

NINE — Seneca, De Providentia 2.1–2

"No evil can befall a good man; opposites do not mingle. Just as the countless rivers, the vast fall of rain from the sky, the huge volume of mineral springs do not change the taste of the sea, do not even modify it, so the assaults of adversity do not weaken the spirit of a brave man. It always maintains its poise, and it gives its own colour to everything that happens; for it is mightier than external things. And yet I do not mean to say that the brave man is insensible to these, but that he overcomes them, and being in all else unmoved and calm rises to meet whatever assails him. All his adversities he counts mere training."

TEN — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.70 — The Corinthian description of Athenian courage

"The Athenians are addicted to innovation, and their designs are characterised by swiftness alike in conception and execution. You, on the contrary, are skilled in hanging on to what you have got. They are adventurous beyond their power, daring beyond their judgment, and in danger they are still sanguine. They are never at home, for they are always seeking to get more. They alone simultaneously hope for what they attempt, and possess what they have seized, because they act swiftly. Of them alone it may be said that they possess a thing as soon as they have desired it, so quickly does action follow upon decision."

SŌPHROSÝNĒ (σωφροσύνη) — Self-mastery; the harmony of a soul governed by reason.

ONE — Heraclitus, Fragment 112

σωφρονεῖν ἀρετὴ μεγίστη, καὶ σοφίη ἀληθέα λέγειν καὶ ποιεῖν κατὰ φύσιν ἐπαίοντας.

"Sophrosyne is the greatest virtue, and wisdom is speaking and acting the truth, paying heed to the nature of things."

TWO — Xenophon, Memorabilia 1.5.1–6

"Should not every man hold self-control to be the foundation of all virtue, and first lay this foundation firmly in his soul? For who without this can learn any good or practise it worthily? Or what man that is the slave of his pleasures is not in an evil plight body and soul alike?"

THREE — Plato, Gorgias 507a–c

"It seems to me that the temperate man (sōphrōn), being just and brave and pious, is completely a good man. He who is good does whatever he does well and nobly. And he who does well is blessed and happy. This, Callicles, is the order which is the true order, and it is in accordance with it that one should live, and that a man should pursue and practise temperance (sōphrosýnē)."

FOUR — Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 6.5, 1140b — Why temperance preserves practical wisdom

"This is why we call temperance (sōphrosýnē) by this name; we imply that it preserves one's practical wisdom (sōzousa tēn phrónēsin). Now what it preserves is a judgment of the kind we have described. For it is not any and every judgment that pleasant and painful objects destroy and pervert, but only judgments about what is to be done. The man who has been ruined by pleasure or pain forthwith fails to see any such originating cause—to see that for the sake of this or because of this he ought to choose and do whatever he chooses and does; for vice is destructive of the originating cause of action."

FIVE — Plato, Republic 430e–431b — Sophrosyne as the harmony of the soul

"Temperance (sōphrosýnē) is a kind of order and mastery over pleasures and desires, as the phrase 'being master of oneself' indicates. The temperate man is one in whom the better part of the soul rules over the worse. When the naturally better part rules over the worse, this is what is called being master of oneself; it is praised. But when, on the contrary, the smaller and better part is overpowered by the larger and worse, this is called being defeated by oneself and being licentious."

SIX — Plato, Charmides 159b–161b — Charmides' definition

CHARMIDES: "I think that temperance is a kind of quietness, or doing things in an orderly way."

SOCRATES: "Well, then, we shall have to consider whether temperance is a kind of knowledge. For that too is suggested by what we have said. And indeed, Charmides, I suspect that temperance is some kind of knowledge. For when this is present in a man, he does what he ought and refrains from what he ought not."

SEVEN — Euripides, Hippolytus — The Chorus on the loss of sophrosyne

"Trust, a mighty god, has gone. Restraint (Sōphrosýnē) has gone from men, and the Graces, my friend, have abandoned the earth."

EIGHT — Xenophon, Agesilaus 5.4 — The Spartan king's self-mastery

"Agesilaus showed himself extremely moderate and self-controlled in eating, drinking, sleep, and all the pleasures of sense. He practiced self-control (sōphrosýnē) not as something that constrained him, but as the mark of a well-ordered soul."

NINE — Plato, Phaedrus 237d–238a — Sophrosyne vs. hubris

"We must understand that in each of us there are two ruling and leading principles, which we follow wherever they may lead. One is the innate desire for pleasures; the other is an acquired judgment that aims at the best. Sometimes these two are in agreement, but sometimes they are at war, and now one rules, now the other. When judgment leads and rules through reason toward the best, the power of this rule is called temperance (sōphrosýnē). But when desire drags us irrationally toward pleasures and rules within us, this rule is called excess (hubris)."

TEN — Plutarch, Sayings of Spartans — Lycurgus

"When someone asked what gain the laws of Lycurgus had brought Sparta, he replied: 'Contempt for pleasures.'"

DIGNITAS — Earned dignity; the weight that accumulates through achievement.

ONE — Sallust, Bellum Catilinae 1.1–4

Omnis homines qui sese student praestare ceteris animalibus summa ope niti decet ne vitam silentio transeant veluti pecora, quae natura prona atque ventri oboedientia finxit.

"All men who desire to be better than the rest of the animals should try with all their strength not to move through life in silence like cattle, creatures nature has made low and slaves to their stomachs."

Nam divitiarum et formae gloria fluxa atque fragilis est, virtus clara aeternaque habetur.

"For the glory of wealth and beauty is fickle and fragile, but virtue is bright and eternal."

TWO — Cicero, De Officiis 1.106

"From this we see that sensual pleasure is quite unworthy of the dignity of man and that we ought to despise it and cast it from us. And if we will only bear in mind the superiority and dignity of our nature, we shall realize how wrong it is to abandon ourselves to excess and to live in luxury and voluptuousness."

THREE — Cicero, Pro Sestio 98

Id quod est praestantissimum maximeque optabile omnibus sanis et bonis et beatis, cum dignitate otium.

"That which is the most excellent thing, and the most desirable for all sound and good and happy men, is repose joined with dignity."

FOUR — Seneca, Epistulae Morales 101.1

Facilius enim crescit dignitas quam incipit.

"Dignity increases more easily than it begins."

FIVE — Cicero, De Officiis 1.130

"We ought to regard loveliness as the attribute of woman, and dignity as the attribute of man. Therefore, let all finery not suitable to a man's dignity be kept off his person, and let him guard against the like fault in gesture and action."

SIX — Sallust, Bellum Catilinae 1.6–7

Nam et prius quam incipias, consulto, et ubi consulueris, mature facto opus est. Ita utrumque per se indigens alterum alterius auxilio eget.

"For before you begin, deliberation is needed, and once you have deliberated, swift action is required. Thus both mind and body, each insufficient on its own, require the other's aid."

SEVEN — Cicero, De Oratore — The orator's dignity

"A good orator must shine of a good light himself, that is by his dignity of life."

EIGHT — Tacitus, Agricola 1.1–2

Clarorum virorum facta moresque posteris tradere, antiquitus usitatum, ne nostris quidem temporibus quamquam incuriosa suorum aetas omisit, quotiens magna aliqua ac nobilis virtus vicit ac supergressa est vitium parvis magnisque civitatibus commune, ignorantiam recti et invidiam.

"To hand down to posterity the deeds and customs of illustrious men—a practice common in ancient times—has not been neglected even in our own era, whenever some great and noble virtue has overcome and risen above the vice common to small and great states alike: ignorance of what is right, and envy."

NINE — Potius mori quam foedari

"Rather to die than to be dishonored."

— Ancient Roman battle cry and motto, carried by soldiers who understood that honor lost cannot be regained.

TEN — Cicero, De Re Publica — The reward of wisdom and virtue

Hinc ad ipsos, qui eam adepti sunt, laus, honos, dignitas confluit.

"From this source, to those who have attained wisdom, flow praise, honour, and dignity."

DHARM (धर्म) — The law of one's own being; the duty that arises from who you are.

 EXTRACT ONE — Bhagavad Gita 3.35:

श्रेयान् स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्। स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः॥

"Better is one's own law of works, swadharma, though in itself faulty, than an alien law well-wrought out; death in one's own law of being is better, perilous is it to follow an alien law."

TWO — Bhagavad Gita 2.31 & 2.37 (Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield, Kurukshetra)

स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि।

धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाछ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते॥

"Further, having regard to your own dharma, you should not waver. For there is nothing more auspicious for a Kshatriya than a righteous war."

हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम्।

तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः॥

"Slain, you will attain heaven. Victorious, you will enjoy the earth. Therefore arise, O son of Kunti, resolved to do battle."

THREE — महाभारत, शान्ति पर्व (अध्याय 134, श्लोक 6-7) 

Bhishma, when he speaks to Yudhishthir, speaks thus:

अतिधर्माद् बलं मन्ये बलाद् धर्मः प्रवर्तते।

बले प्रतिष्ठितो धर्मो धरण्यामिव जङ्गमम्॥

"If the two be compared, I consider Power superior to Righteousness. From Power, Righteousness springs. Righteousness rests upon Power, as all moving things upon the Earth."

धूमो वायोरिव वशे बलं धर्मोऽनुवर्तते।

अनीश्वरो बले धर्मो दुमे वल्लीव संश्रिता॥

"As smoke depends upon the wind, so Righteousness depends upon Power. Righteousness, being weak, clings to a tree (Power), like a creeper."

FOUR — Mahabharata, Shanti Parva (Bhishma Pitamah to Yudhishthira on Dama—Self-Mastery)

As Yudhishthira approaches the dying patriarch on his bed of arrows and asks him to name the foremost dharma, amidst its many doors and branches, Bhishma replies without hesitation:

धर्मस्य विद्यो नैके ये वै प्रोक्ता महर्षिभिः।

स्वं स्वं विज्ञानमाश्रित्य दमस्तेषां परायणम्॥

दमेन सदृशं धर्मं नान्यं लोकेषु शुश्रुम।

दमो हि परमो लोके प्रशस्तः सर्वधर्मिणाम्॥

"Dharma has not one way but many. Sages have given several different ways. However, the basis of all the ways is dama—self-discipline. In this world, there is no dharma like dama. Dama is the greatest among all dharmas of this world."

FIVE — (The clearest articulation of honour, and loyalty in relation to the swadharma of Suryaputr Karn, in conversations with Lord Krishn and Kunti Mata)

Udyoga Parva, Chapter 139, Verses 15–17

The Debt of Honour: Neither Fear, Death, Greed, nor Captivity Can Break It

मां च कृष्ण समाश्रित्य कृतः शस्त्रसमुद्यमः।

दुर्योधनेन वार्ष्णेय विग्रहश्चापि पाण्डवैः॥ ५-१३९-१५॥

तस्माद्रणे द्वैरथे मां प्रत्युद्यातारमच्युत।

वृतवान्परमं हृष्टः प्रतीपं सव्यसाचिनः॥ ५-१३९-१६॥

वधाद्बन्धाद्भयाद्वापि लोभाद्वापि जनार्दन।

अनृतं नोत्सहे कर्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रस्य धीमतः॥ ५-१३९-१७॥

"Taking refuge in me, O Krishna, Duryodhana has raised his weapons and undertaken this war with the Pandavas. Therefore, O Achyuta, he has chosen me with supreme joy as his foremost warrior in single combat against Savyasachin. Whether from death, captivity, fear, or greed, O Janardana, I cannot speak falsehood to the wise son of Dhritarashtra."

SIX —

प्राप्य चापि महद्राज्यं तदहं मधुसूदन।

स्फीतं दुर्योधनायैव सम्प्रदद्यामरिंदम॥ ५-१३९-२२॥

"Even if I obtained a great and prosperous kingdom, O Madhusudana, I would give it only to Duryodhana, O subduer of enemies."

SEVEN —- (Udyoga Parva, Chapter 144, Verses 10–14)

अभ्राता विदितः पूर्वं युद्धकाले प्रकाशितः।

पाण्डवान्यदि गच्छामि किं मां क्षत्रं वदिष्यति॥ ५-१४४-१०॥

सर्वकामैः संविभक्तः पूजितश्च सदा भृशम्।

अहं वै धार्तराष्ट्राणां कुर्यां तदफलं कथम्॥ ५-१४४-११॥

उपनह्य परैर्वैरं ये मां नित्यमुपासते।

नमस्कुर्वन्ति च सदा वसवो वासवं यथा॥ ५-१४४-१२॥

मम प्राणेन ये शत्रूञ्शक्ताः प्रतिसमासितुम्।

मन्यन्तेऽद्य कथं तेषामहं भिन्द्यां मनोरथम्॥ ५-१४४-१३॥

मया प्लवेन सङ्ग्रामं तितीर्षन्ति दुरत्ययम्।

अपारे पारकामा ये त्यजेयं तानहं कथम्॥ ५-१४४-१४॥

"Unknown as a brother before, revealed as one on the eve of battle—if I go to the Pandavas now, what will all the Kshatriyas say? Furnished with every object of desire, worshipped by them always and profoundly—how can I render that friendship of Dhritarashtra's sons utterly futile? Having provoked hostilities with others, they wait upon me always, and bow down to me, as the Vasus bow to Vasava. They think that, aided by my might, they are capable of facing the foe. How can I then shatter their cherished hope? With me as their boat, they desire to cross the impassable ocean of battle. They seek the far shore, and there is no other ferry. How can I abandon them?"

EIGHT —-- (Udyoga Parva, Chapter 144, Verses 15–18)

अयं हि कालः सम्प्राप्तो धार्तराष्ट्रोपजीविनाम्।

निर्वेष्टव्यं मया तत्र प्राणानपरिरक्षता॥ ५-१४४-१५॥

कृतार्थाः सुभृता ये हि कृत्यकाल उपस्थिते।

अनवेक्ष्य कृतं पापा विकुर्वन्त्यनवस्थिताः॥ ५-१४४-१६॥

राजकिल्बिषिणां तेषां भर्तृपिण्डापहारिणाम्।

नैवायं न परो लोको विद्यते पापकर्मणाम्॥ ५-१४४-१७॥

धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्राणामर्थे योत्स्यामि ते सुतैः।

बलं च शक्तिं चास्थाय न वै त्वय्यनृतं वदे॥ ५-१४४-१८॥

"This is the time when all those who have been supported by Dhritarashtra's sons must exert themselves for their master. I shall certainly act for them, reckless even with my life. Those sinful men of unsteady heart—who, well-fed and well-furnished with every necessary by their masters, undo the benefit received when the time comes for repayment—are thieves of their master's cakes. They have neither this world nor the next for them. I will fight for the sake of Dhritarashtra's sons against your sons, relying on my strength and power. I will not speak falsely to you."

ARETE (ἀρετή) — Excellence; the full realization of one's capacities.

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics I.7, 1098a15–17:

"Human good turns out to be the activity of the soul in accordance with virtue, and if there are more than one virtue, in accordance with the best and most complete."

VIRTUS — Manly excellence; strength of character made manifest in action.

Sallust, Bellum Catilinae 1.4:

Nam divitiarum et formae gloria fluxa atque fragilis est, virtus clara aeternaque habetur. 

"For the glory of wealth and beauty is fickle and fragile, but virtue is bright and eternal." 

DECUS — Splendor; the visible radiance of honor and worth.

Cicero, De Officiis 1.124:

debereque eius dignitatem et decus sustinere 

"...it is his duty to uphold its honour and its dignity" 

Decus paired with dignitas throughout Roman literature — the internal weight and the external radiance of a life lived according to virtus.

EXTRACTS FROM HAGAKURE: 

ONE — 

“We all want to live. And in large part we make our logic according to what we like. But not having attained our aim and continuing to live is cowardice.”

TWO —

"It is not sufficient just to remain calm in the event of catastrophe or emergency. When challenged by adversity, charge onwards with courage and jubilation. This is rising to a higher level. It is like the saying, 'The more water there is, the higher the boat rises.'"

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

"क्षमा शोभती उस भुजंग को

जिसके पास गरल हो

उसका क्या जो दंतहीन

विषरहित विनीत सरल हो"

"संहार देह धर खड़ा जहाँ अपनी पैंजनी बजाता हो,

भीषण गर्जन में जहाँ रोर ताण्डव का डूबा जाता हो,

ले चलो, जहाँ फट रहा व्योम, मच रहा जहाँ पर घमासान,

साकार ध्वंस के बीच बैठ छोड़ना मुझे है आज प्राण।"