Do not give in to every common impulse.
from The Art of Worldly Wisdom
Do not give in to every common impulse.
lxix
A person who does not allow himself to be influenced by the impressions of others is a great person. Self-reflection is the school of wisdom. To know one's own temperament and to allow it, and even to go to the other pole to find just the right environment between nature and art. Knowing oneself is the beginning of self-improvement. There are people whose humor is so abnormal that they are always under the influence of one or the other, substituting it for their real inclinations. Torn by such incongruity, they become entangled in contradictory obligations. Such excesses not only destroy the firmness of the will, but all judgment is lost, and desire and knowledge are pulled in opposite directions.
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