Do what you must — not to anyone, but to your conscience. Do what you have to do without asking for anything in return. And then it is more likely that the expected will happen.
“Who said those words first, I don’t care. They have long been mine, they lead me through life. I believe that they form the life strategy of any reasonable person. We must carry our personal destiny with dignity, not be attached to intermediate results, not depend on the final goal. Do what you must — not to anyone, but to your conscience. Do what you have to do without asking for anything in return. And then it is more likely that the expected will happen.
I believe in fate. That’s why I don’t play games with her. You can’t guess, you can’t calculate. All my attempts to live by someone else’s rules ended in failure. You need to trust yourself. Do not strive for a flock, a herd. Do not be afraid to be a black sheep. We ourselves are the cause of everything that happens.”
* This phrase is attributed to both Marcus Aurelius, and Cato the Elder, and Solomon, and Leo Tolstoy; is considered a French saying, an old knightly motto and one of the fundamental principles of Karma Yoga.