Post: #1

I have wanted to make such a thread for some time now. After listening to Mike’s podcasts from Danger and Play I’ve finally kicked my ass into gear and wrote it.

Quintus Curtius is, a man and member of this honorable board who deserves a thread in his honor.

1. Who is Quintus Curtius?

In his own words: ‘I am a former active duty officer in the U.S. Marine Corps with deployed service worldwide. I was on active duty for over four years, and a reservist for four more. I eventually resigned from the reserves in 2000 at the rank of major.

After leaving active duty in the USMC, I decided to go to law school. I became an attorney, founded a law firm with another attorney in 2000, and for many years now have been practicing as a trial attorney in federal and state courts.

I have lived in several countries, speak several languages, and continue to travel frequently.'

He is the author of four books: Thirty Seven, Pantheon, Stoic Paradoxes and Pathways. If my memory serves me correct he will publish another book which a translation of Cicero’s work called 'On duties' sometime this year.

2. Where can I find Quintus Curtius?

In many places actually, from Twitter to YouTube but his main is called Fortress of the Mind.

Besides that he also has a podcast who shares the same name and can be found on iTunes or Soundcloud.

3. Why did I decide to make an appreciation thread about Quintus Curtius?

I’ve found a thread made by Horus about his blog, but no appreciation thread which is why I’ve decided to make one.

I know I am a fledgling member with a low post count and low reputation level whose opinion does not mean much, but this will not deter me from my course of action as I believe in it.

I’ve discovered the ‘Red Pill’ sometime in the beginning of the last year. As you can imagine it is quite a harrowing experience where you simultaneously hurl out everything out you’ve known or believe to have known up to that point while absorbing copious amount of knowledge that was hidden from you either knowing or unknowingly. Besides that my parents were in the middle of a divorce and I’ll say with an honest face that my boat was rocked heavily and I felt myself loosing within a terrible storm.

I’ve thought myself into a victim. A whiny little bitch of a man who blamed either his father or mother because I had problems in my life. Shout – out to Onto who slapped some sense into me.

Nevertheless I’ve felt drifting on the waves of life. Showing up, doing what was expected of me but not much else. I’ve had no enthusiasm for life itself. I’ve lacked direction. I didn’t know in which way to steer my boat or if it even matters to try and set sail.

Lo and behold I stumble upon the posts of Quintus Curtius. They’ve simply resonated with me. Here’s a man who got thrown out from a college program due to a medical condition which caused his lungs to collapse only to decide that this will not be the end of him.

Just like that.
He simply said no.
He decided that he’ll fight it tooth and nail.
He will scrap by somehow. How exactly he did not know.
But what he did know that he will.

This is what I needed in my own life. I’ve needed to read about other people who were hit with much greater tragedies than I. I had to read about their stories and their determination on how they’ve pulled through.

This is the quintessence, I believe, about the writings of Quintus.

Determination. Determination to pull through.

And now I myself have gotten determined to set the sails of my boat. I marked a goal on this map we call life and now I shall see where the winds and waves will take me.

4. Writings

A scholar on the Stoic branch of ancient philosophy which advocates a life based on virtues where Reason governs the Appetite. Men may indulge into the voluptuary pleasures of the flesh while they cannot let themselves get lost within it or addicted on it. Balance is the key.

The Reason must govern the Appetite lest we regress to mere animals. I believe Man is born for something more, for something Divine. This is what I’ve learned from him. Or at least I hope this is what he would have wanted me from getting out of his posts, books and podcasts.

He writes about a myriad of different topics which range from geopolitics, beehive collecting methods from the Romans, law, major events in the lives of prominent people and how they’ve dealt with them (for example: Theodore Roosevelt’s expedition in Brazil) and many others. I don’t believe there is a man who could not find a post in which he would been able to extract some wisdom.

It is hard to condense the essence of all of his writings into a single post as he also has over 3.000 posts which I have not been able to scour thoroughly for nuggets of wisdom which is why I have decided to share my favorite quotes from his four books and with an added choice selection of the five most important articles he’s written, for which I believe every man should read.

Books

1. Thirty Seven: Essays On Life, Wisdom and Masculinity

The best teachers, to be sure, are not only transmitters of knowledge, but are also stimuli for our moral renovation. We have never needed such teachers more than we do now.

2. Pantheon: Adventures In History, Biography And The Mind

Lord Halifax attempted to usurp control of Churchill’s cabinet and convince them to make peace with Germany. Brushing him aside, Churchill delivered a passionate speech to his 25 – member cabinet, urging them to fight on no matter the cost. In these words he expressed the soul of a fighter, and a spirit that would not be cowed into subservience: Nations which went down fighting rose again, but those which surrendered tamely were finished… If this long island story of ours is to end at last, let it end only when each of us lies choking in his own blood upon the ground.

3. Stoic Paradoxes: A New Translation

The ‘wise man – this phrase the Stoics elevated to an ideal – would seek to live in accordance with nature; free will exists, but to resist too much the natural order of things was to set oneself for a life of frustration and misery.

4. Pathways: Best Short Essays Of 2015

No man of any consequence wants, or seeks, an 'easy life'. Slash with your knives, jab with your bayonets, and keep the lead flying down range. This is most of life. This is the moral truth, the quintessence of the glorious struggle we were born for. The good life is not to be found in relaxation, endless joy and tranquility. No. It is only to be found in the endless quest. The quest alone gives us meaning. We must seek it out, this Blood-Quest, and hunt it down.

Articles

My Own Ten Commandments

1. You shall not shield yourself from raw, unvarnished experience.
2. You shall not hide from the clash, clang, and roar of life. Instead, you shall welcome it.
3. You shall find the nature of that Spirit that resides in you, and that moves you.
4. You shall obey the call of that Spirit, wherever it may take you.
5. You shall love passionately, and hate passionately.
6. You shall realize that we are, each of us, alone.
7. You shall not expect your woman to “complete” you, and neither shall you “complete” her.
8. You shall realize that Life is a brutal struggle, and you shall welcome the chance to enter the Great Arena of Life, knowing that the only way to lose is by failing to participate. Pain is good, natural, and desirable. All honor and glory go to those who participate with zeal in the struggle.
9. You shall not expect the other man to be like you, or to “understand” you, on more than a few points. He is he, and I am I.
10. You shall not expect, and shall not seek, a stupefying and illusory “happiness” from the World. You are entitled to nothing except what is in you.

Success Can Be Fatal

Perhaps successful men should consider taking a retreat, or some sort of sabbatical, in order to condition themselves to accept the fact that Fortune balances out things. Great success cannot be continued indefinitely. Sooner or later, it is balanced out by ill-Fortune. We can call it the wages of success: the fact that it can destroy as readily as it can elevate.

Beware The Waters Of Salmacis

Vicimus et meus est, she cries out in triumph: We win and he is mine. Which is the secret triumph of every woman: to possess completely her man, to merge his identity into her own. To pull him down off his pedestal. This secret wish of hers. Never consciously stated, but there still.

Seeking Peace of Mind: A Letter

But what is the source of this disturbance of the mind, where we are unable to see the positive? Its origin is in a sense of acquisitiveness. And this comes from excessive egotism. Because we exalt our egos at all times, we are blinded by the ceaseless ambition of the ego. This plants the seeds of unreasonable expectations in our lives: we expect to be all things to all people, and to be insulated from the pains of Fate.When this proves impossible—as it always is—disillusion sets in. But the problem was our own perception the entire time.

You Will Never Reach The End Zone

Life involves agony, pain, and conflict, but it also elevates us to the pinnacles of ecstasy, joy, satisfaction, and above all Love. Love, which is the eternal binder of all souls. And also the redeemer of them. We should not, and cannot, shrink from the responsibilities of life, in all of its ups and downs, its highs and lows, its agonies and its ecstasies. We must never allow ourselves to feel broken, defeated, debilitated, or beaten by life. I will not allow this. I will not permit this disease of defeatism in my life. Will not. Ever. You fight till the last rag is left on your old, creaking bones. And this is life: anyone telling you otherwise is peddling rot.

5. In conclusion

It is truly my deepest hope that I’ve been able to demonstrate in a clear, concise way on just how much Quintus has added to the Manosphere and what a valuable member he is.

On a personal note I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for helping me in ways that I believe will never be able to repay him fully. This is but a drop compared to the ocean I’ve received.

Nevertheless I’d like to thank you for your being a bulwark of sanity against the madness of the modern MSM feminist, globalist, simply put bullshit propaganda which destroys the body and crushes the souls of men. Keep on fighting the good fight.

Post: #2

"I'm Quintus curtius, good night" fantastic podcasts that are timeless.

Post: #3

Great thread!

I'm proud to call QC a friend -- he's a stand-up guy, one the best guys we have around these parts.

I've always marveled at his ability to churn out such high-quality content week in and week out. He has an incredibly moving article on ROK -- my favorite on the site -- called Hatred Is A Poison:

Quote:Some years ago I served with the Allied Military Intelligence Battalion (AMIB) during the Bosnia peacekeeping mission. It was a multinational unit, composed of military intelligence men from various NATO nations, and it was tasked with collecting information in Bosnia and Croatia as required by our ever-shifting commander’s intent. Originally based in Sarajevo, I and a select group of Greek Army personnel later moved south to the Dalmatian coast, to an abandoned Yugoslav army base near the small town of Trogir, in Croatia.

I was the only Marine officer in the battalion, and it was the first time I was in a multinational service environment. So there was some culture shock for me at first. I was coming from the USMC’s insular and regimented military culture, into a multinational immersion with European militaries which can only be described, in my opinion, as glorified police forces (except the Turks). Our job was human intelligence: basically to drive all over Bosnia and Croatia with our translator, and meet with various locals who might have information related to the topics we were assigned to investigate.

The people whom we met with were almost always the dregs of society: criminals, former militia members, opportunists, informers, killers. Mostly they were just looking for handouts from us, and all of them were eager to justify and minimize their actions in the ethnic cleansing and fighting that had taken place. Some bragged about their sniping, their violence, their assaults on their neighbors, and their frauds and scams. But being around such people, and in this environment, for an extended period of time had an effect on me, which I have learned to put into greater perspective with the passage of time.

The Bosnian and Croatian countryside was possessed of great beauty, and countless images from that time remain fixed in my memory: the weird, almost haunted, quality of the decrepit base near Trogir; the very different tribal characteristics of the nationalities in AMIB (Norweigans, British, French, Italians, Germans, Turks, Greeks); the many long road trips we took to Zadar, Knin, Split, and dozens of other obscure towns in Bosnia and Croatia; the people we would meet on our travels in the countryside; the same Euro-pop soundtrack that played in the background nearly everywhere we went; the Serbian Orthodox monastery in Krka, where we once had to go for an assignment; and the almost unbelievable lack of supervision the Greeks and I had as armed men driving back and forth between two countries.

I loved working with the Greeks: proud, prickly, and independent, they knew who they liked and didn’t like, and fortunately I got along very well with them. Perhaps because of my own Mediterranean background, I knew how to deal with them in a way that none of the other Americans did. For that reason I was the officer assigned to work with them in Trogir. I will never forget my comrade a Greek army major, a hardworking, jovial man, possessed of great humanity, wisdom, and an utter ruthlessness when needed. He was also the only man I have ever seen who could hand-roll a cigarette while driving through a perilous Bosnian mountain road while at the same time talking politics or philosophy.

But darker images from the region’s recent history were always present as reminders of the savage heart that pants just beneath the thin veneer of civilization. The natural beauty of the region formed an uncomfortable contrast with the obscene ghastliness of civil war, only recently abated, which was present in every village and in the wrinkled brow of every inhabitant. Political graffiti was nearly everywhere, and all of it was of the extreme type (fascist Ustase or Serb nationalist sloganeering). Parts of Sarajevo were mostly blasted apartment buildings, or buildings raked with machine gun or rocket fire. And driving through the countryside, one would see town after town of demolished houses, blown up by one group or another. The remnants were usually mined, a precaution taken by one group or another to ensure that no displaced persons ever entertained the thought of returning. Sullen hatred and repressed rage hung in the air like a poisonous cloud, and it could not be avoided. When talking with any of the locals, you just felt it immediately.

I remember one time while driving in the Croatian countryside we decided, against my better judgment, to pick up a hitchhiker. She was a teenage Croat girl with a beautiful face. But when we got her in the car and attempted some friendly chit-chat, all that came out of her mouth was the foulest, crudest, ethnic hatred: how much she hated Serbs, how much she wished she could kill every one of them, and such talk. It was unsettling for us to hear such unprovoked vitriol come from the mouth of a girl so beautiful; the Greeks and I were taken aback and could hardly respond. We got rid of her in the next village. And for the rest of the drive none of us spoke much, our hearts heavy with the weight of this incident. I felt a deep sense of shame. Shame for sitting there and listening to the diatribe, without responding, and somehow feeling complicit in it. I felt tainted, corrupted, unclean. And I think about this episode sometimes, in darker moments. I have come to despise ethnic or racial bigotry, in whatever form, to the extent that I cannot stand to hear it for a more than a moment.

Hatred is a poison: a corrosive, insidious poison, which eats away at the soul of the bearer, until he becomes a hollow shell of a man, a shellacked and mummified corpse. This is not a metaphor. It is a literal truth, and I have seen it. Never hold onto hatred or animus. And never accept it as a burden from anyone else.

We like to think we can trace the roots of hatred and conflict among peoples and nations. Regarding the Bosnian war, you can read the excellent The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric, as I did, and you can delude yourself that you know the reasons why this happened or why that happened. And to some extent, it is good to ask such questions. But I have come to think that irrational forces play a more powerful role in human affairs that we care to admit. In the end, the rational explanations are always somewhat deficient. Truth has many faces, and moves about on four legs. The unconscious, primeval Unknown is always there in the background, driving us forward, just as a sleepwalker is animated and guided by an invisible hand.

Sometimes, there is no reason why this or that happens. Civilization is a veneer, a mask attached to the face of the trousered ape which is man; and when the mask falls off, the beast behind it is revealed in all his brutishness. And the beast is a sick, craven, and destructive thing, when exposed to the light of day. Each generation must nurture the gift of civilization, and pass it on, this precious gift, to ensure that the face of barbarism remains safely hidden away. And when society fails in this task, consequences must be paid. And paid in blood.

Towards the end of my time in Bosnia, we once interviewed a hard-bitten Croat who was describing his supposed knowledge of a mass grave near the Bosnian border. He chain smoked, as most did, throughout the interview. Towards the end of the interview, and his spewing the usual anti-Serb litany, he leaned back in his chair, took a long drag on his cigarette, and squinted at me though narrow and cunning peasant eyes. They were afire with a mixture of scorn and undisguised vindictiveness. If I had encountered him in a combat zone and he had looked at me that way, I would have shot him without hesitation. But there was something else. There was despair in those eyes as well: beneath the animal, rat-like hostility, there was the forlorn look of the man who had lost his soul. The look of someone who knew, deep down, that everyone loathed him.

He said to me, through the translator, “I know what you’re thinking. And maybe I’ve said too much. But let me tell you that you have no right to judge me. You would have done the same things I did in my situation. You don’t know anything about me.”

I glared back at him, this slithery bastard. I wanted to tell him something he would remember for a long time.

“No”, I said slowly, “you don’t know what I’m thinking. You don’t know anything about me. But let me tell you: I will not allow you to give me your hatred. I refuse to take it from you. So you can take it back. All of it. You are not rich enough to give it to me.”

Then he put down his cigarette, lowered his head, and was silent.

Post: #4

I just listened to this as if I were 24 again, like the guy who emailed you!

https://qcurtius.com/2016/02/14/how-do-i...e-podcast/

Not a word that isn't true for me at 44, too.

Nice work QC!

Post: #5

Great poster and even better writer. Got 3 of his books but only read Stoic Paradoxes.

Post: #6

I have learned so much from the prominent thinkers around here that I have difficulty remembering who I learned what from, but I distinctly remember 2 lessons that stuck to me very well after listening to QC's podcasts.

"The Importance of Boldness" is on every electronic device I have, and it helps me overcome my introverted nature.

The other I cannot link to a specific article or podcast, but I hear this one in Quitus's voice because the idea emerges in various ways through his words on self-improvement: "Discipline is the most important virtue to improve oneself. Greatness is a habit, and habits require discipline more than motivation or the prospect of rewards. Discipline is its own reward." Others have expressed these ideas about discipline, but Quintus Curtius nailed that one to my skull.

Quintus, you have my deepest gratitude.

Post: #7

Hey guys, thanks much for the kind words. Much appreciated.
When I first read Guriko's thread here, and saw how well he put all of it together, I was almost afraid that you guys would think I put him up to it...

Post: #8

Top notch contributor.

I still need to set aside time to read his books. My Kindle is overflowing, like Macedonia's border. Can't keep up.

Post: #9

In my 18 month posting hiatus from this site (never stopped reading), I feel as if I have come to know the individual posters more and more. Some I feel deep kinship towards, and deep gratitude to. QC is one such 'poster'.

In fact, to call him a 'poster' is almost an insult along the lines of calling him a 'typist'. No sir, QC is a 'contributor'. More than that: Mentor, philosopher, all-round warrior and good guy!

I've taken deep strength from QC's posts the last year or two. I wish I had spent longer getting to know individual posters previously, before I dived in with my shoddy, drunken, loud-mouthed, and quite frankly, extremely embarrassing attitude.


But it's never too late to learn, or say you are sorry, or tell someone you love them, or give them the rep point you should have long before.

QC, I salute you sir, and this blessed trajectory that you have taken through life. May you always get the better of it, riding that raucous wave, winning, and living another day to tell the tale.

Proof, that the pen, is indeed mightier than the sword.

Post: #10

(04-12-2016 02:25 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  I still need to set aside time to read his books. My Kindle is overflowing, like Macedonia's border. Can't keep up.

Low-energy, RioNomad, low-energy!: If you can't keep up, build a Kindle wall, and make Amazon pay for it

Post: #11

I deeply-respect the man for his intelligence and widsom. There's a lot I could say, but - related to another thread - I believe I can sum up both the man and his writing in six words:

With this knowledge, you will endure.

Post: #12

I repped QC back in the fall of 2013, when both he and I were just starting to post here, for this truly superb article he wrote on ROK about the Duke Lacrosse case:

Revisiting The Duke Rape Case

Rereading this article, I see it as an example of QC's writing at his best: facts presented with the clarity, thoroughness, and consecutive relentlessness of a good lawyer; a restrained use of historical background that illuminates the subject at hand without distracting from it; and forthrightly expressed, unvarnished moral indignation that is wholly earned on the strength of the facts and never tips over into hysteria. It's a piece of writing full of excellence from beginning to end.

I will quote two paragraphs from it that illustrate all its virtues: the brisk, factual outline of a situation; the unreserved expression of righteous feeling about it; and a just conclusion buttressed by an apt historical reminder. And all this on a subject of great weight and importance:

Quote:And the mentality continues. To cite just one of many examples, former Atlanta Falcons football player Brian Banks recently had a rape conviction overturned under circumstances that shock the conscience. Banks, a star football player with a bright future, had been falsely accused of rape by a cynical and vicious teenage classmate. Facing the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence, he pled guilty for something he didn’t do, and served five years in prison. His accuser and her mother proceeded to shake down the school with a phony lawsuit and got a huge settlement. On his release, the girl contacted him on Facebook and offered to “help” him clear his name as long as she didn’t have to give the settlement money back.

Unbelievable. He recorded the meeting and used it to help clear his name. But he had lost five precious years of his life. Under Roman law, a person who wrongly accused another of a crime was guilty of calumnia. The penalty for calumnia was for the lying accuser to be subjected to the same range of punishment as the crime alleged. I like this old Roman law, and think it should be adopted today. The deterrent effect would be enormous.

I remain very happy that the author of that article continues to contribute here, and look forward to lots more from him.

Post: #13

Though I am roughly the same age as him, and have already internalized much of the lessons and wisdom he speaks of due to my own path and hard slog through it all, I find the words of Quintus are a refreshing reminder to keep an even keel and stand by one's principles. One has to have principles that are constant and life-long — not subject to fads and fashions — as self-preservation is vital in mind if not more than body.

Post: #14

Quintus has the potential to become a famed author. Not sure if that's what he wants, but I always finish his articles and podcasts feeling a little bit more resilient about life. His words can help millions of men. The man offers massive value, and this thread was much needed.

The kind of info that we have access to is amazing...

Really makes me wonder how many other people have a powerful gift/message that they're holding back.

Post: #15

QC has advised me via PM and has given me unassuming mentorship via his writing(both on life and on how to write).

One of the men I most deeply respect on the forum and whose writing I'll patiently wait for as long as he continues. I thank him for inspiring me and many others.

Cheers!

Post: #16

I just bought the Kindle version of Roosh's "Free Speech Isn't Free." I haven't begun reading the book, but I just read Quintus Curtius's foreward to the book. And holy shit it is brilliant! The book only cost $7 and I already feel I have received my money's worth. I'm sure that nobody here will need much convincing to buy this book, but the passage from QC alone is worth it.

This sentence sums up the ideals that every man should be committed to:

Quote:Victories, once won, are never permanent: they must be re-won by every generation.

I can't wait to read the rest of the book.

Buy it.

Post: #17

I don't know QC personally but I will always appreciate how much he cares about the forum. He's like that bro who looks out for you despite having just met you. A stand up guy who brings so much value to this place.

I hope I get to run into you one of these days, bro.

Post: #18

I only hope I can one day live up to the masculine virtues he espouses.

He made me laugh recently by posting an eloquent passage of writing from antiquity, passionately-stating his frustration that "No-one writes like that today."

I immediately-thought, "You do."

The intention behind QC's writing, even when describing historical and biographical events, is one of the deeper lessons and truths about masculinity that can be learnt from each moment.

As such, his books are highly re-readable when you note connections between events you observe and things he's discussed within his works.

As such, this one copy of 'Pantheon' has been with me to Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Germany, Romania, the United Kingdom and Japan.



If you haven't read his work, get started today. No excuses.

Don't make me come over there.

Post: #19

I appreciate his deep wisdom every time I read his posts. I hear he lives in the Midwest. Wouldn't mind a meetup some time this summer, to be square.

Post: #20

I love the fact that Quintus is always open to questions.

Post: #21

(04-12-2016 08:02 PM)AnonymousBosch Wrote:  With this knowledge, you will endure.

This reminds me of a Welsh proverb: To endure is to overcome.

QC is on the shortlist, sort of a saving the best for last kind of thing.

I know it's gonna be good. But I want to have the time and place to fully savour it.

The little I have read from his blog tells me I will be in for a rare treat.

But yeah, with this knowledge you will endure, and to endure, is to overcome.

There's stoicism in there I tell you, with them there words. :-)

Words lead to thoughts, thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to change...

Post: #22

(06-18-2016 06:19 PM)Rigsby Wrote:  I know it's gonna be good. But I want to have the time and place to fully savour it.

The little I have read from his blog tells me I will be in for a rare treat.

But yeah, with this knowledge you will endure, and to endure, is to overcome.

There's stoicism in there I tell you, with them there words. :-)

Words lead to thoughts, thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to change...

Related to your music threads:

I believe to be an exceptional Creative Force you need both an active body and mind.

I also believe if you want to produce high-quality output, the truly-creative mind needs a regular input of high-quality thought, art, writing and music.

Yesterday, I was midway through re-reading QC's chapter on Neo-Platonism in 'Pantheon'. It's one I've always struggled with because I don't think my mind was previously open enough to broader possibilities. Often with challenging thought you have to wait for your life circumstances to move you into place to be able to generate a deeper understanding.

I took a break from the mental strain. I know that chapter is a heavy weight, and rests between sets are needed.

Recognising how on fire my mind my was, I picked up my guitar, and over the next hour or so, produced the core of three songs, getting that thrill of recognition where I know two of them are going to be bloody incredible, once fully-realised.

I guarantee you I wouldn't have generated that creative fire by engaging in mentally-unchallenging tasks, such as reading 'Twilight'; watching 'Avengers'; playing 'Gone Home'; or listening to Meghan Trainor making excuses for her mediocrity.

The mind needs regular exercise to excel, which is why the Marxists are doing everything they can to present us with the least stimulating and inspiring input possible. They want us to stagnate, watching 13 episodes in a row of 'Orange Is The New Black', thinking that is the best that life can offer you.

Don't wait for the right moment. It might never come. Do.

Thanks Quintus, for putting the weights in my hands. I'm looking forward to mentally-bench pressing 'On Duties' when it comes out in a few weeks.

Post: #23

^Thanks for the heads up AB. I didn't know he translated my favorite of Cicero's works. Extremely excited and I'll be hitting that pre-order button ASAP.

Post: #24

(06-18-2016 07:24 PM)Comte De St. Germain Wrote:  ^Thanks for the heads up AB. I didn't know he translated my favorite of Cicero's works. Extremely excited and I'll be hitting that pre-order button ASAP.

His stoic humility means he tends to undersell himself, knowing quality work naturally attracts quality readers, something I've discovered in my own musical endeavours.

Details on his forthcoming book here, for those who are curious:

The Details On My Upcoming Book “On Duties”

Post: #25

I'm slimming down. Reading real live philosophers of my time. People I can reach out and feel. What was he really like? Was he a man of his word? Did he contradict himself?

The physical is everything.

Today, I picked up the guitar for the first time in weeks. Since that last time I think we last spoke AB, if you are reading this. I stared at the guitar, too ill to pick it up. Today I did. And even though I spent 2 hours totally lost in a musical no man's land, I persevered. I gave up actually. And that was when the good thing came.


Sometimes it just does not work. Sometimes, you really are so ill that you can not shop for food, nor cook it, and sometimes, you are too ill to even eat it.

Every man has a duty to himself to exploit his own good health. Don't waste time with hating. With 'entertainment'.

Music, since we are talking about it, is a wonderful thing to have as a counter-point to whatever is going on in your life. It flexes the brain as well as the muscle. And of course, it flexes that thing that has no name, some call it the soul, or the spirit, others laugh.

I've actually been pushing my mind further now that my body is so lacking in compunction. Taking it to never before been to places. Not all of them good. Pushing myself over the edge. Today was a good day. I don't need much. Very little food. Oxygen, of course. Warmth so I don't freeze. My mind is developed enough to make its own stimulation, but a bit of outside influence doesn't hurt. Listening to Burning Spear African Teacher at the moment. It has that certain 'twist'. No need to intellectualize it. Music, on the most guttural and visceral level. For now.

But enough of that.

QC is taking the considered approach. I like music for its spontaneity, its impulsiveness, its originality, its uniqueness, but it is air and fire, not earth and water, if I might 'muse' on it myself.

I like QC's writing. I don't particularly seek certain people out to help me learn how to think. I have that worked out myself. But it's nice to come across a non-intrusive, reflective sort of writer. I agree that QC could 'push' himself a lot more if he wanted to, but it goes in his favour that he does not.

The work stands for itself. And sometimes all the work is, is some words on a page, reflecting, ...........