Meditations - 01

---Book 1 DEBTS AND LESSONS---

The recognition that I needed to train and discipline my character.

-

Not to be sidetracked by my interest in rhetoric修辞. Not to write 

treatises论述 on abstract questions, or deliver moralizing little 

sermons说教, or compose imaginary descriptions of The Simple Life or 

The Man Who Lives Only for Others. 

-

To ★steer clear of避开 oratory言辞/演讲, poetry and belles美女? lettres.

Not to dress up just to stroll闲逛 around the house, or things like that.

-

To write straightforward直白的 letters.

And to behave in a conciliatory安抚的 way when people who have

angered or annoyed us want to make up.

-

To read attentively周到地———not to be satisfied with “just getting 

the gist主旨/要点 of it.” And not to ★fall for沉迷 every smooth talker.

And to see clearly, from his example, that a 

man can show both strength and flexibility.

To learned how to accept ★favors好意/帮助/支持 from friends without losing

your self-respect or appearing ungrateful.

To show intuitive sympathy for friends, tolerance to amateurs and

sloppy粗心的 thinkers.

-

To investigate and analyze, with understanding and logic, the principles

we ought to live by.

-

Not to display anger or other emotions. ★To be free of免于 passion 

and yet full of love.

-

To praise without bombast夸大其词; to display expertise without pretension.

Not to be constantly correcting people, and in particular not to jump on

them whenever they make an error of usage or a grammatical mistake or

mispronounce something, but just answer their question or add another

example, or debate the issue itself (not their phrasing措辞), or make some 

other contribution to the discussion———and insert the right expression,

unobtrusively客气地.

To recognize the malice恶意, cunning狡猾, and hypocrisy虚伪 that power produces,

and the peculiar ruthlessness often shown by people from “good families.”

Self-control and resistance to distractions.

Optimism in adversity———especially illness.

Doing your job without whining牢骚.