45 — Stephen Walton

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Does someone wash quickly? Don’t say he washes badly, just that he washes quickly. Does someone drink a lot? Don’t say that he drinks badly, just that he drinks a lot. Unless you know exactly what’s behind a person’s actions, you can’t determine whether he’s doing anything badly. This way you can avoid making judgements in cases that you don’t really understand.

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Somebody is hasty about bathing; do not say that he bathes badly, but that he is hasty about bathing. Somebody drinks a good deal of wine; do not say that he drinks badly, but that he drinks a good deal. For until you have decided what judgement prompts him, how do you know that what he is doing is bad? And thus the final result will not be that you receive convincing sense-impressions of some things, but give your assent to others.

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45 — P.E. Matheson

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If a man wash quickly, do not say that he washes badly, but that he washes quickly. If a man drink much wine, do not say that he drinks badly, but that he drinks much. For till you have decided what judgement prompts him, how do you know that he acts badly? If you do as I say, you will assent to your apprehensive impressions and to none other.

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45 — George Long

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Does a man bathe quickly (early)? Do not say that he bathes badly, but that he bathes quickly. Does a man drink much wine? Do not say that he does this badly, but say that he drinks much. For before you shall have determined the opinion, how do you know whether he is acting wrong? Thus it will not happen to you to comprehend some appearances which are capable of being comprehended, but to assent to others.

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45 — T.W. Rolleston

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Does a man bathe himself quickly? Then say not Badly, but Quickly. Does be drink much wine? Then say not Too much, but Much. For before you have discerned how things appear to him, how can you know if it were done badly? Thus it will not happen to you to surrender yourself to certain of the phantasms which lay hold of the mind, while comprehending others.

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45 — T.W. Higginson

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Does any one bathe hastily? Do not say that he does it ill, but hastily. Does any one drink much wine? Do not say that he does ill, but that he drinks a great deal. For unless you perfectly understand his motives, how should you know if he acts ill? Thus you will not risk yielding to any appearances but such as you fully comprehend.

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Does anyone bathe in a mighty little time? Don’t say that he does it ill, but in a mighty little time. Does anyone drink a great quantity of wine? Don’t say that he does ill, but that he drinks a great quantity. For, unless you perfectly understand the principle from which anyone acts, how should you know if he acts ill? Thus you will not run the hazard of assenting to any appearances but such as you fully comprehend.

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45 — Epictetus

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Λούεταί τις ταχέως: μὴ εἴπῃς ὅτι κακῶς, ἀλλ’ ὅτι ταχέως. πίνει τις πολὺν οἶνον: μὴ εἴπῃς ὅτι κακῶς, ἀλλ’ ὅτι πολύν. πρὶν γὰρ διαγνῶναι τὸ δόγμα, πόθεν οἶσθα, εἰ κακῶς; οὕτως οὐ συμβήσεταί σοι ἄλλων μὲν φαντασίας καταληπτικὰς λαμβάνειν, ἄλλοις δὲ συγκατατίθεσθαι.

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