All people, brother Gallio, want to live happily. But they're terrible at figuring out what actually makes life happy. It's so hard to reach happiness that the harder you chase it, the further away you get — if you're going the wrong way. When you're on the wrong road, your speed just carries you further from where you want to be. So first we need to define clearly what we're aiming for. Then we need to figure out the best path to get there. Once we're on the right path, we'll be able to see our daily progress and how much closer we're getting to the goal that our nature pushes us toward.
All men, brother Gallio, wish to live happily, but are dull at perceiving exactly what it is that makes life happy: and so far is it from being easy to attain to happiness that the more eagerly a man struggles to reach it the further he departs from it, if he takes the wrong road; for, since this leads in the opposite direction, his very swiftness carries him all the further away. We must therefore first define clearly what it is at which we aim: next we must consider by what path we may most speedily reach it, for on our journey itself, provided it be made in the right direction, we shall learn how much progress we have made each day, and how much nearer we are to the goal towards which our natural desires urge us.