Letter 107 — On Obedience to the Universal Will (§3)

“Does one wish to die? Let the mind be prepared to meet everything; let it know that it has reached the heights round which the thunder plays. Let it know that it has arrived where— Grief and avenging Care have set their couch, And pallid sickness dwells, and drear Old Age. With such messmates must you spend your days. Avoid them you cannot, but despise them you can. And you will despise them, if you often take thought and anticipate the future.”