Ascolta bene, amico mio!

Some men display friends like medals on their lapels—many of them, yet lifeless. Others surround themselves with a large family: a devoted wife, attentive brothers and cousins, flattering nephews, all ready to celebrate birthdays, but few willing to face the world over an injustice done to their own blood.

Blessed, then, is the one who finds, among so many familiar faces, even a single person willing to rise against an offense committed against him.

“There is nothing like the wrath of a man who never wished to be violent.” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Roman mythology tells that one day a miser and an envious man went to the god Jupiter to ask him to grant their wishes…

Jupiter, wanting to teach them a lesson, agreed — on the condition that whatever one of them asked for would be given to the other in double.

The miser, who wished for a room full of gold, received it, but became bitter when he saw that his companion had been given twice as much gold.

Seeing what had happened, the envious man then wished that one of his eyes would be pierced, so that the miser would become blind in both.

📌 Envy is such a sordid poison that a man is willing to inflict suffering upon himself, as long as the other suffers more. Instead of seeking to prosper, he prefers to level the world through ruin, making everyone equal in misery.

Never show when you are desperate.

Stay calm even when you are going through difficult moments.

Understand that it is simply your time to suffer—

just like every other man before you.

The most important skill you can develop is the ability to recover quickly.

Bad conversation? Move on.
Bad day? Start again tomorrow.
Missed a workout? Train the next day.
Bad decision? Learn from the mistake and adjust.

You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how long you allow it to affect you. 💪

“God has placed us as competitors in a race where it is our destiny to be constantly striving. This place, therefore—a valley of tears—is not a condition of peace nor a state of security, but an arena of struggle and endurance.”

— Jerome, Homily 16 on the Psalms

Good attempt. But they will not answer you.

You cannot flatter my tyrants. I sent them to the gallows long ago.

For one who rules himself, it is imperative to know his own weaknesses well, or the unknown will seep into his life through them.

To say “I have no weakness” is the greatest of them all. Do not underestimate it. Do not trust it and lie down beside the beast simply because its eyes appear closed. That which does not manifest on its own only needs a stimulus to serve a master.

Vanity. Ambition. Desire for recognition…

Borders are crossed and languages change, yet human weaknesses remain universal—immortal across the ages.

You will feel as though someone understands you. The incredible impression that this person has known you for years, even though they have only recently entered your life.

Your weaknesses have been with you since the nest; therefore, the one who takes them by the hand will seem strangely familiar.

The cunning one will ask about your family, your work, or your day with no real interest in hearing the answer. But he knows that the language of “I” does not work, so he will speak only about you until it serves his purpose.

The countermeasure is the death of innocence. Stop being overly emotional. Subdue the ego. This may make you harsh, monosyllabic, or impatient. Save your time. Protect your years. There are people who appear during a good moment and take nearly a decade to be expelled—only then allowing you to return to the phase you were in before them.

Do not lose another ten years to learn this lesson. It may cost you the rest of your life.

“They will knock on your door, sit in a chair, and consume your time without adding anything to your life. When many empty people appear and keep appearing, you have to be cruel to them, because they are being cruel to you.” — Charles Bukowski

“It is we ourselves who bring about our own troubles, and then, on top of that, we complain about them.”

— Fyodor Dostoevsky, writer and journalist