Book 5, Chapter 18

“What, then, prevents either him or Xenocrates, that most serious of philosophers, who so greatly exalts virtue and diminishes and dismisses everything else, from placing not merely a happy life but the happiest life in virtue?

52 “Unless this is done, the destruction of the virtues will follow. Whoever is susceptible to distress must also be susceptible to fear, for fear is the anxious expectation of future distress. Whoever is susceptible to fear is also susceptible to dread, timidity, panic, and cowardice. It follows that he may sometimes be defeated and think that Atreus’ precept does not apply to him:

“‘Let them so prepare themselves in life that they never know defeat.’

“But he will be defeated, as I said, and not merely defeated but enslaved. We, however, want virtue always free, always unconquered. If it is not, virtue is abolished.

53 “And if virtue provides sufficient resources for living well, it also provides enough for living happily. Certainly virtue is sufficient for us to live courageously; if courageously, then also with greatness of spirit, never terrified by anything and always unconquered. It follows that there is nothing to regret, nothing lacking, nothing obstructing us. Everything therefore flows freely, completely, and prosperously—and therefore happily. But virtue has sufficient power to make us live courageously; therefore it has sufficient power to make us live happily as well.

54 “For just as folly, even after obtaining what it desired, never thinks it has obtained enough, so wisdom is always content with what is present, and never dissatisfied with itself.”

“What stops him, then, from putting not just a happy life but the happiest possible life in virtue? Or what stops Xenocrates, that most serious of philosophers? He builds virtue up so high and makes everything else so small, dismissing it.

52 “Unless they do that, the virtues will be destroyed. Someone who can experience grief must also be able to experience fear, since fear is anxious expectation of future grief. Someone who can experience fear can also experience terror, timidity, panic, and cowardice. It follows that he’ll sometimes be defeated and won’t think that instruction from Atreus applies to him: “‘So let them prepare for life in a way that leaves them unable to lose.’ “But this person will lose, as I’ve said. Not only that, he’ll also be a slave. Yet we want virtue always free, always undefeated. If it isn’t, virtue has been wiped out.

53 “And if virtue gives enough support for living well, it also gives enough for living happily. It certainly gives enough for us to live courageously. If we can live courageously, we can also live with greatness of spirit, never frightened by anything and always undefeated. It follows that we’ll have no regrets, nothing missing, nothing in our way. Everything will then flow smoothly, completely, and successfully—and so happily. Virtue has enough power for living courageously. So it also has enough for living happily.

54 “Even after foolishness has got what it craved, it never thinks it has got enough. Wisdom, by contrast, is always content with what’s there and never dissatisfied with itself.”