Letter 1521: Do not be ashamed of your work — take pride in it.
Do not therefore be ashamed of the matter, but rather take pride in it, having taken up a most necessary and useful art. For those who pursue the arts of pleasure would rightly blush.
On continence in youth and virtue in old age. Continence is indeed praiseworthy at every age, but it is most praiseworthy in youth, when the fires of passion burn hottest and the temptations of the flesh are strongest. The young man who conquers himself conquers the most formidable of all enemies, and the victory he wins in the morning of life serves as a fortress for the remainder of his days. For the habits formed in youth become the character of age, and the one who has learned early to master his appetites will find it easy to resist temptation when the strength of passion begins to fade. But the one who has indulged every desire in youth will find that the habit of indulgence has taken root so deeply that even when the fires cool, the appetite remains. Therefore fight now, while the battle is hardest, and you will reap the reward of peace when others are still struggling.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
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