THE ART OF MORAL EXCEPTIONS.—An art that points out and glorifies the exceptional cases of morality—where the good becomes bad and the unjust just—should rarely be given a hearing: just as now and again we buy something from gipsies, with the fear that they are diverting to their own pockets much more than their mere profit from the purchase. 41. ENJOYMENT AND NON-ENJOYMENT OF POISONS.—The only decisive argument that has always deterred men from drinking a poison is not that it is deadly, but that it has an unpleasant taste. 42. THE WORLD WITHOUT CONSCIOUSNESS OF SIN.—If men only committed such deeds as do not give rise to a bad conscience, the human world would still look bad and rascally enough, but not so sickly and pitiable as at present.—Enough wicked men without conscience have existed at all times, and many good honest folk lack the feeling of pleasure in a good conscience. 43. THE CONSCIENTIOUS.—It is more convenient to follow one’s conscience than one’s intelligence, for at every failure conscience finds an excuse and an encouragement in itself. That is why there are so many conscientious and so few intelligent people. 44. OPPOSITE MEANS OF AVOIDING BITTERNESS.—One temperament finds it useful to be able to give vent to its disgust in words, being made sweeter by speech. Another reaches its full bitterness only by speaking out: it is more advisable for it to have to gulp down something—the restraint that men of this stamp place upon themselves in the presence of enemies and superiors improves their character and prevents it from becoming too acrid and sour. 45. NOT TO BE TOO DEJECTED.—To get bed-sores is unpleasant, but no proof against the merits of the cure that prescribes that you should take to your bed. Men who have long lived outside themselves, and have at last devoted themselves to the inward philosophic life, know that one can also get sores of character and intellect. This, again, is on the whole no argument against the chosen way of life, but necessitates a few small exceptions and apparent relapses. 46. THE HUMAN “THING IN ITSELF.”—The most vulnerable and yet most unconquerable of things is human vanity: nay, through being wounded its strength increases and can grow to giant proportions. 47. THE FARCE OF MANY INDUSTRIOUS PERSONS.—By an excess of effort they win leisure for themselves, and then they can do nothing with it but count the hours until the tale is ended. 48. THE POSSESSION OF JOY ABOUNDING.—He that has joy abounding must be a good man, but perhaps he is not the cleverest of men, although he has reached the very goal towards which the cleverest man is striving with all his cleverness. 49.