38. If any man has done wrong, the harm is his own. But perhaps he has
not done wrong.

39. Either all things proceed from one intelligent source and come
together as in one body, and the part ought not to find fault with what
is done for the benefit of the whole; or there are only atoms, and nothing
else than mixture and dispersion. Why, then, art thou disturbed? Say to
the ruling faculty, Art thou dead, art thou corrupted, art thou playing
the hypocrite, art thou become a beast, dost thou herd and feed with
the rest?

40. Either the gods have no power or they have power. If, then, they have
no power, why dost thou pray to them? But if they have power, why dost
thou not pray for them to give thee the faculty of not fearing any of the
things which thou fearest, or of not desiring any of the things which
thou desirest, or not being pained at anything, rather than pray that any
of these things should not happen or happen? for certainly if they can
co-operate with men, they can co-operate for these purposes. But perhaps
thou wilt say the gods have placed them in thy power. Well, then, is it
not better to use what is in thy power like a free man than to desire in
a slavish and abject way what is not in thy power? And who has told thee
that the gods do not aid us even in the things which are in our power?
Begin, then, to pray for such things, and thou wilt see. One man prays
thus: How shall I be able to lie with that woman? Do thou pray thus: How
shall I not desire to lie with her? Another prays thus: How shall I be
released from this? Another prays: How shall I not desire to be released?
Another thus: How shall I not lose my little son? Thou thus: How shall I
not be afraid to lose him? In fine, turn thy prayers this way, and see
what comes.