13. Empathy and forgiveness. Beyond viewing antagonists as disabled by bad judgment, the Stoic meets them with empathy. This starts with the idea that those who give offense are seeking to do right by their own lights. Nobody wants to be wrong. “Every soul is deprived of truth against its will” – and is likewise deprived against its will of justice, self-control, kindness, and everything of the kind. It is necessary to keep this in mind always, because it will make you milder toward everyone else. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.63
