The soul in its nature loves God and longs to be at one with Him in the noble love of a daughter for a noble father; but coming to human birth and lu… - Plotinus

Los unos están desarmados y los otros, como van armados, vencen. Entonces, Dios no tenía por qué pelear en persona en favor de los no aguerridos, pues la ley manda que hay que salir salvos de las guerras luchando varonilmente, y no rezando. Porque tampoco se recogen cosechas rezando, sino cultivando la tierra, ni se está sano descuidando la salud. Los malos gobiernan por la cobardía de los gobernados, pues eso es lo justo, y no lo contrario.

We must close our eyes and invoke a new manner of seeing...a wakefulness that is the birthright of us all, though few put it to use.

Withdraw into yourself and look. And if you do not find yourself beautiful yet, act as does the creator of a statue that is to be made beautiful: he cuts away here, he smoothes there, he makes this line lighter, this other purer. ... Cut away all that is excessive, straighten all that is crooked, bring light to all that is overcast, labor to make all one glow or beauty and never cease chiseling your statue, until there shall shine out on you from it the godlike splendor of virtue.