But this passive good will is not enough. It is not enough not to harm
things. Marcus Aurelius, I believe, has said; “One is often as unjust
in doing nothing as in doing what one does.” You must understand,
therefore, that not to share your inner fortune is, in some sort, to
rob those who surround you.
We must first declare our blessings: we must try to do this without
shame and without arrogance. Those who enjoy an intense and efficacious
inner life draw from it a great deal of pride; they would gladly
communicate it if they did not know that these treasures seem
ridiculous to the common men; it is really shame, therefore, that
prevents them from being proud.
In spite of the cry of Hamlet, it is through words that one discovers
and possesses the world.
The rhetoricians have done their work so well that at times words seem
dry, empty of pulp, empty of juice. They are no longer nourishing food,
they are discordant sounds.
It needs only a little confidence and generosity to restore their
meaning and their weight. Then they become precious and faithful. We
call them, like devoted persons, to our aid; they come at once out of
the shadow and show themselves docile to our wishes.
Marcus Aurelius, of whom we have just spoken, has said this also: “I
wish always to define or describe the object that presents itself to my
thoughts, so as to see, distinctly and in its nakedness, what it is in
its substance, considered as a whole, and separately in all its parts,
so as to be able to tell myself its true name as well as the true names
of the parts of which it is composed and into which it can be resolved.
For nothing is so suited to elevate the soul as to analyze as much as
possible, with method and justice, everything that one meets with in
life, and always to examine each object so as to be able to recognize
at once to what order of things it belongs, of what, use it is, and
what is its importance in the universe and, relatively, to man.”
It is with words that this task is accomplished.
I have noted another beautiful expression on this subject; it is from
M. Anatole France. “Words,” he says, “are ideas.... I think the highest
race in the world is that which has the best syntax. It often happens
that men cut each other’s throats over words they do not understand. If
they understood each other they would embrace each other.”
Be very sure then that the words of which we make use are deserving of
all our care, all our respect. They are the witnesses of our thoughts.
They will betray us if we degrade them to base uses.
Choose them with great tenderness; that is a quality as enviable as
precision. And by means of these choice words, loyally express your
fortune.
Tell what you have discovered, what you know. In affirming your
possession you render it sure, positive. You labor for others and for
yourself. You give form to your treasure and yield it, as if perfected,
to those who truly wish to avail themselves of it.
V
Yes, in acting in this way, you are also working for your own profit.
Do not let us leave this burning subject too quickly.
If I were not afraid of giving a conviction the form of a whim, I
should say: “You do your work and it does good to you.”
Among the ideas that are dear to you and that you are glad to
express are not only certainties, verified results, the testimony of
experience. There are many wishes, many longings, too. By virtue of
being enunciated, these end by reacting upon you, by gently imprisoning
you. When you speak of virtue, or happiness, or the spirit of adventure
or courage, you further certain things that are indeed your own; you
further also many other things that you passionately wish to have
become your own, your unique and recognized quality. By virtue of
expressing them, it comes to pass that they in turn react upon you; a
moment arrives when you are morally constrained to become the product
of your opinions. In this sense your work does for you the good that
you have done for it.
Admit, therefore, that if it pleases you to see and to paint your life
in generous, harmonious colors, it is inevitable that harmony and
generosity should little by little imprint their stamp on your serious
thoughts and on your acts.
Therefore speak, speak of your dream. Every time someone tells you:
“You do not live up to what you say,” think, with a smile: “Not yet,
undoubtedly; but I feel sure that one day my words, that is to say, my
thoughts, will prove to be truer than my vagaries.”
When you have tried and proved this method, you will attempt to bestow
it upon others.
To that end strive to win a reputation among uncertain, hesitating
people. Be prudent: this is the time when it is of great importance to
choose the right ideas and words. But if you see one of your companions
torn between two opposing reputations, imprison him in the better of
the two.
I once knew a man who had done many good acts and a considerable number
of reprehensible ones. One day, when I saw him hesitating between
these two different tendencies, I began to address certain phrases to
him that opened somewhat like this: “You who are so good.... You who
have done such and such fine things.” ... And the result was that that
man became really good, in order not to betray the reputation he had
gained.
I foresee that you are about to pronounce the word vanity. Stop a
moment! It is not a base stratagem that causes a barren soul to bring
forth a fine harvest. If I had called the attention of that man to what
was mean and sordid in his character, he would have perhaps become a
villain altogether, and that would have been a shame for him, for me,
and for everybody.