But how wonderful it is to be honest and straightforward! This kind of life decorates itself and hides nothing about who you really are. Still, even a life that hides nothing from anyone might be looked down on. Some people automatically despise whatever they get close to. But virtue can never become contemptible when people see it up close. It's better to be scorned for being simple than to carry the heavy burden of constant pretending.
But what pleasure there is in that honest straight-forwardness which is its own ornament, and which conceals no part of its character! Yet even this life, which hides nothing from any one runs some risk of being despised; for there are people who disdain whatever they come close to: but there is no danger of virtue's becoming contemptible when she is brought near our eyes, and it is better to be scorned for one's simplicity than to bear the burden of unceasing hypocrisy.