but I stayed careful when things happened that could set me off." You can be confident you're making real progress. So how do you keep this up? Be willing to finally earn your own approval. Be willing to look good in God's eyes. Want to stay pure — pure with yourself and pure with God. Then when tempting thoughts come to you, Plato says: seek cleansing rituals, go pray at temples that ward off evil. It's enough if you just spend time with good and honest people. Compare yourself to them, whether they're alive or dead.
but I took care when some exciting things happened." Be assured that you are in a good way. How then shall this be done? Be willing at length to be approved by yourself, be willing to appear beautiful to God, desire to be in purity with your own pure self and with God. Then when any such appearance visits you, Plato says, Have recourse to expiations, go a suppliant to the temples of the averting deities. It is even sufficient if you resort to the society of noble and just men, and compare yourself with them, whether you find one who is living or dead.