The ambitious person thinks happiness comes from other people's praise and applause. The pleasure-seeker thinks it comes from physical sensations. But the wise person knows happiness comes from his own actions.
The ambitious supposeth another man's act, praise and applause, to be his own happiness; the voluptuous his own sense and feeling; but he that is wise, his own action.
Try your best to persuade them. But if reason and justice call you to act, do it even if they are completely against it. If someone uses force to stop you, shift your virtue from one thing to another. Move from justice to calm acceptance and patient good humor. What blocks you in one area can help you practice another virtue. Remember that you began with proper conditions and limits in mind. You never set your heart on impossible things. What did you want then? That all your desires would be guided by this kind of wise restraint. You have this now and can always have it, whether you get what you want or not. What more do I need? I was born to rule my desires with reason and good judgment. That's enough.
Let us do our best endeavours to persuade them; but however, if reason and justice lead thee to it, do it, though they be never so much against it. But if any shall by force withstand thee, and hinder thee in it, convert thy virtuous inclination from one object unto another, from justice to contented equanimity, and cheerful patience: so that what in the one is thy hindrance, thou mayst make use of it for the exercise of another virtue: and remember that it was with due exception, and reservation, that thou didst at first incline and desire. For thou didst not set thy mind upon things impossible. Upon what then? that all thy desires might ever be moderated with this due kind of reservation. And this thou hast, and mayst always obtain, whether the thing desired be in thy power or no. And what do I care for more, if that for which I was born and brought forth into the world (to rule all my desires with reason and discretion) may be?