Others may insult you, injure you—even kill you and cut you to pieces—yet they are powerless to harm your character. Nothing can defile your mind or force you to be unjust, outside of your own will. A person can stand by a mountain stream and insult it all day long—the stream remains pure. Even if they throw dirt into it, the dirt is quickly dispersed and carried away. Let your soul be like that stream—flowing freely, simplly, and contentedly.
