Nothing is wretched, but thinking makes it so, and conversely every lot is happy if borne with equanimity.
Boethius The Consolation of Philosophy, Book II, Prose IV (524 CE) Translated by H. R. James
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When and why it was written
- When
- Written around 524 CE in prison, while Boethius awaited execution on a charge of treason.
- Why
- Lady Philosophy is answering his complaint that Fortune has taken everything from him.
What it means
Boethius wrote this with every reason to feel wretched, which is what gives it weight. The claim is not that circumstances do not matter, but that the judgment we add to them is where much of the misery lives.
The second half is the practical part: equanimity is something a person can bring to a lot, not something the lot supplies.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
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The Consolation of Philosophy, 524 CE
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