There is nothing great or noble about anger, even when it seems powerful and scorns both gods and people. Anyone who thinks anger creates greatness of mind might as well think luxury does the same. Such a person wants to rest on ivory, dress in purple, and live under golden roofs. He wants to move mountains, dam up seas, change the course of rivers, and hang forests in the sky. He might also think greed shows greatness of mind. After all, the greedy man hoards piles of gold and silver. He treats entire provinces like fields on his personal estate. He has more land under single managers than the territories that consuls once drew lots to govern.
There is therefore nothing great or noble in anger, even when it seems to be powerful and to contemn both gods and men alike. Any one who thinks that anger produces greatness of mind, would think that luxury produces it: such a man wishes to rest on ivory, to be clothed with purple, and roofed with gold; to remove lands, embank seas, hasten the course of rivers, suspend woods in the air. He would think that avarice shows greatness of mind: for the avaricious man broods over heaps of gold and silver, treats whole provinces as merely fields on his estate, and has larger tracts of country under the charge of single bailiffs than those which consuls once drew lots to administer.