39. Adapt thyself to the things with which thy lot has been cast: and the
men among whom thou hast received thy portion, love them, but do it truly
[sincerely].

40. Every instrument, tool, vessel, if it does that for which it has been
made, is well, and yet he who made it is not there. But in the things
which are held together by nature there is within, and there abides in,
them the power which made them; wherefore the more is it fit to reverence
this power, and to think, that, if thou dost live and act according to
its will, everything in thee is in conformity to intelligence. And thus
also in the universe the things which belong to it are in conformity to
intelligence.

41. Whatever of the things which are not within thy power thou shalt
suppose to be good for thee or evil, it must of necessity be that, if
such a bad thing befall thee, or the loss of such a good thing, thou wilt
not blame the gods, and hate men too, those who are the cause of the
misfortune or the loss, or those who are suspected of being likely to be
the cause; and indeed we do much injustice because we make a difference
between these things [because we do not regard these things as
indifferent]. But if we judge only those things which are in our power to
be good or bad, there remains no reason either for finding fault with God
or standing in a hostile attitude to man.

42. We are all working together to one end, some with knowledge and
design, and others without knowing what they do; as men also when they
are asleep, of whom it is Heraclitus, I think, who says that they are
laborers and co-operators in the things which take place in the universe.
But men co-operate after different fashions: and even those co-operate
abundantly, who find fault with what happens and those who try to oppose