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Sukhpreet Kaur

Reflection

Willpower

If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful for pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures.

— Musonius Rufus

stoicismpleasureintegrity

Why this matters:

If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful for pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures. This is the fundamental Stoic trade: long-term fulfillment for short-term effort. Our memories of past pleasures fade, but the pride of difficult accomplishments becomes a permanent part of our identity.

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