THE ETHICS by Spinoza....excerpt

"Of Human Bondage" "Prop. I. No positive quality possessed by a false idea is removed by the presence of what is true, in virtue of its being true. "Prop. II. We are only passive, in so far as we are a part of Nature, which cannot be conceived by itself without other parts. "Prop. III. The force by which a man persists in existing is limited, and is infinitely surpassed by the power of external causes. Prop. IV. It is impossible, that a man should not be a part of Nature, or that he should be capable of undergoing no changes, save such as can be understood through his nature only as their adequate cause. "Prop. V. The power and increase of every passion, and its persistence in existing are not defined by the power, whereby we ourselves endeavor to persist in existing, but by the power of an external cause compared with our own. "Prop.VI. The force of any passion or emotion overcome the rest of a man's activities or powers, so that the emotion becomes obstinately fixed to him. "Prop. VII. An emotion can only be controlled or destroyed by another emotion contrary thereto, and with more power for controlling emotion. "Prop. VIII. The knowledge of good and evil is nothing else but the emotions of pleasure and pain, in so far as we are conscious thereof. "Prop. IX. An emotion whereof we conceive the cause to be with us at the present time, is stronger than if we did not conceive the cause to be with us. "X. Toward something future, which we conceive as close at hand, we are affected more intensely, than if we conceive that its time for existence is separated from the present day by a longer interval; so too by the remembrance of what we conceive to have not long passed away we are affected more intensely, than if we conceive that it has long passed away. "Prop. XI. An emotion toward that which we conceive as necessary is, when other conditions are equal, more intense than an emotion toward that which is possible, or contingent, or non-necessary. "Prop. XII. An emotion toward a thing, which we know not to exist at the present time, and which we conceive as possible, is more intense, other conditions being equal, than an emotion toward a thing contingent. P. 194 -202, THE ETHICS by Benedict de Spinoza (Prometheus Press: 1667, 1982)