Letter 962

To Demetrius. Let us at last be bold for the work of pleasing God, and let us not collapse, but rather take pains, not fixing our gaze on our failures. For neither will everyone who wishes to learn some craft, if he is afraid and keeps before his eyes the ruin of the work, accomplish anything; nor will the sailor who dreads shipwreck, nor the merchant or the farmer who keeps reckoning up the failures, ever be able to bring a matter to completion. Rather, each of these sets his hand to the task and applies himself to it, made a servant to the more favorable hopes.

Κατατολμήσωμεν ποτε τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν εὐαρεστήσεως, καὶ μὴ ἀναπέσωμεν, ἀλλὰ μεριμνήσωμεν, μὴ σκοποῦντες τὰς ἀποτυχίας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πᾶς ὁ βουλόμενος μαθεῖν τέχνην τινὰ, φοβούμενος, καὶ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχων τὸ ἀφανίσαι τὸ ἔργον, οὔτε ὁ πλεύτης δεδοικὼς τὸ ναυάγιον, οὔτε ὁ ἔμπορος ἢ γεωργὸς τὰς ἀποτυχίας λογιζόμενος, πρᾶγμά ποτε περαιῶσαι δυνήσεται, ἀλλ' ἐγχειρεῖ καὶ ἐπιβάλλεται τούτων ἕκαστος, δουλούμενος ταῖς χρηστοτέραις ἐλπίσι.