Letter 1585: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
To Theon the Scholasticus. The study of the law is a noble pursuit, but only when it is directed toward justice and not merely toward victory. The lawyer who uses his skill to defend the guilty and condemn the innocent is worse than a common criminal, for the criminal at least does not pretend to serve justice while undermining it. You have been given a sharp mind and a ready tongue — gifts that can be used for great good or great evil. Use them in the service of truth, and you will earn both the gratitude of your fellow citizens and the approval of God. Use them in the service of falsehood, and you will earn only money — which you cannot take with you when you die — and a guilty conscience, which you cannot leave behind. The choice is yours, but remember: every case you argue is observed by a Judge from whom nothing is hidden and against whose verdict there is no appeal. I urge you therefore, by the mercies of God and by the judgment that is to come, to take these words to heart and act upon them without delay. For the time is short, the stakes are eternal, and the opportunity for repentance, though still available, will not remain so forever. The sun is setting, the shadows are lengthening, and the night in which no man can work draws ever nearer. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, walking honestly as in the day, and preparing ourselves for the coming of the Lord, who will reward every person according to his works.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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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Related Letters
On the text: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called...
Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
Know this, best of men: we err even in this — avenging wrongs done against ourselves while overlooking wrongs done...
Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
Most people are slow to do what is genuinely good, and quick to do what is harmful.