and none can guard against the causes of obstinacy except he who knows the causes of affliction. and he whom god has protected from bad sufficiency and its excess and preserved from bad design and its misfortune his nature has been balanced and his thoughts have been equal. and he whose humors are based on moderation and whose thoughts are equal in weight has known nothing of actions except moderation and has never found his actions except between deficiency and excess because the balanced is born only balanced just as the different is born only different. the successive is not deterred by a deterrent and he has no end except destruction and the selfsufficient has no source no direction no charm 5 and no…
وليس يحترس من أسباب اللجاج إلا من عرف أسباب البلوى. ومن وقاه الله سوء التكفي وسحفه، وعصمه من سوء التصميم ونكده، فقد اعتدلت طبائعه وتساوت خواطره. ومن قامت أخلاطه على الاعتدال، وتكافأت خواطره في الوزن، لم يعرف من الأعمال إلا الإقتصاد، ولم يجد أفعاله أبدا إلا بين التقصير والإفراط، لأن الموزون لا يولد إلا موزونا، كما أن المختلف لا يولد إلا مختلفا. فالمتتابع لا يثنيه زجر، وليست له غاية دون التلف، والمتكفي ليس له مأتى، ولا جهة، ولا له رقية ٥ ، ولا