For no man is found so prudent as to know how to adapt himself to these changes, both because he cannot deviate from the course to which nature inclines him, and because, having always prospered while adhering to one path, he cannot be persuaded that it would be well for him to forsake it. And so when occasion requires the cautious man to act impetuously, he cannot do so and is undone: whereas had he changed his nature with time and circumstances, his fortune would have been unchanged.Anonymous
About This Quote
In this quote, Cicero is speaking about the difficulty of good fortune. To good fortune should be a thing that happens to you and not to others. However, Cicero says that there is no man who can endure to have good fortune all the time. No one can guarantee that they will have enough money or enough success or enough love or enough anything.
He says that if you want to be successful you should act like you are unsure of yourself and act impetuously. If you act like you are not sure of yourself then your thoughts will be what they should be, which is not certainty. When you act like an uncertain person then it will not matter if things go well or fail because your nature will remain the same.
The idea is that if your nature changes with circumstance then no matter how well or badly things go, your fortune will always be the same.
Source: The Prince
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