He will tell you, "A man must have justice done him;
a man must see fair play for himself; a man must think of himself." Poor
fool! He is not thinking of himself all the while, but of a number of
things which are outside him, circumstances which stand round him, and
outside him, and are not himself at all. Because he thinks of them--the
things outside him--he is a coward or a mutineer, while he fancies he is
taking care of himself--as it is written, "Whosoever shall seek to save
his life shall lose it."
But if the man will really think of himself, of that which is inside him,
of his own character, his own honour, his own duty--then he will say,
Well fed or ill fed, well led or ill led, praised and covered with
medals, or neglected and forgotten, and dying in a ditch, I, by myself I,
am the same man, and I have the same work to do. I have to be--myself,
and I have to do--my duty. So help me God. And therefore, so help me
God, I will be discontented with no person or thing, save only with
myself; and I will be discontented with myself, not when I have left
undone something extraordinary, which I know I could not have done, but
only when I have left undone something ordinary, some plain duty which I
know I could have done, had I asked God to help me to do it.
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