Now when a being has attained the good it was pursuing it is sure of
possessing it as soon as it feels that it is better, feels no regret,
is satisfied, takes pleasure therein, and seeks nothing beyond. What
shows the insufficiency of pleasure is that one does not always like
the same thing; doubtless pleasure ever charms, but the object which
produces it is not the same; it is always the newest object that
pleases most. Now the good to which we aspire must not be a simple
affection, existing only in him who feels it; for he who mistakes
this affection for the Good remains unsatisfied, he has nothing but
an affection that somebody else might equally feel in presence of
the Good. Consequently no one will succeed in making himself enjoy a
pleasure he has not achieved[122]; such as, for instance, rejoicing in
the presence of an absent son; or, for a glutton to relish imaginary
food; or, for a lover, to tremble at the touch of his absent mistress,
or (to thrill in a theoretic) orgasm.