Book 2, Chapter 23

54 “In battle a cowardly, timid soldier throws away his shield the moment he sees the enemy and runs as fast as he can. Because of this he sometimes perishes without even a wound, while nothing of the kind happens to the man who stands firm. So too those who cannot bear the appearance of pain fling themselves down and lie there crushed and spiritless; those who resist very often emerge victorious. There are certain similarities between mind and body. Just as loads are carried more easily when the body is braced, but crush it when it is slack, so the mind, by its own tension, repels every pressure of weight;

55 “But when relaxed it is so weighed down that it cannot rise. If we seek the truth, every pursuit of duty requires exertion of mind: that alone is, as it were, duty’s guardian. In pain above all we must take care to do nothing abjectly, timidly, cowardly, slavishly, or like a woman. Above all we must repudiate and reject that cry of Philoctetes. A man may sometimes groan, and that rarely; wailing is not permitted even to a woman. This, surely, is the lessus, the ‘wailing’ that the Twelve Tables forbade at funerals.

56 “A brave and wise man never even groans, unless perhaps to brace himself for firmness, as runners in the stadium shout as loudly as they can. Athletes do the same in training. Boxers, even as they strike an opponent, groan while swinging their weighted gloves—not because they are in pain or losing heart, but because pouring out the voice tenses the whole body and gives the blow greater force.”

54 “Here’s what happens in battle. A cowardly, frightened soldier sees the enemy, throws down his shield, and runs as fast as he can. Because of that, he sometimes dies without even being wounded, while nothing like that happens to the man who stands his ground. In the same way, people who can’t bear the sight of pain throw themselves down and lie there crushed and lifeless. But those who stand up to it very often come away the winners. The mind has certain similarities to the body. Loads are easier to carry when the body is braced; when it’s slack, they crush it. In just the same way, the mind’s tension pushes back against all the pressure of heavy weights.

55 “When it goes slack, it’s pressed down so hard that it can’t raise itself. If we look at the truth, we need to put mental effort into carrying out every duty. That effort alone acts as a kind of guard over duty. But we must be especially careful about this in pain. We mustn’t do anything low, frightened, cowardly, slavish, or womanish. Above all, we must refuse and reject those screams of Philoctetes. A man may groan sometimes, and rarely at that. But not even a woman should howl in grief. That’s surely the ‘wailing’ that the Twelve Tables banned at funerals.

56 “Really, even a groan never comes from a brave and wise man, unless perhaps he uses it to pull himself together and stand firm. Think of a runner on the track, shouting at full volume. Athletes use the same technique during practice. A boxer actually groans while throwing a punch, as he swings his weighted glove at the other man. That isn’t an expression of pain or a sign he’s giving up. Forcing the voice out braces every part of the body, and the punch hits with greater force.”