Passage
Plotinus, Enneads 6.8 (DIORISIS sentence 6202)
grc plotinus enneads
Εἰ οὖν τά τε νῦν ὀρθῶς λέγεται, ἐκεῖνά τε τούτοις συμφώνως ἕξει, φήσομεν τὴν μὲν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὸν νοῦν κύρια εἶναι καὶ εἰς ταῦτα χρῆναι ἀνάγειν τὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ἐλεύθερον ἀδέσποτα δὲ ὄντα ταῦτα τὸν μὲν ἐφʼ αὑτοῦ εἶναι, τὴν δὲ ἀρετὴν βούλεσθαι μὲν ἐφʼ αὑτῆς εἶναι ἐφεστῶσαν τῆι ψυχῆι, ὥστε εἶναι ἀγαθήν, καὶ μέχρι τούτου αὐτήν τε ἐλευθέραν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐλευθέραν παρασχέσθαι προσπιπτόντων δὲ τῶν ἀναγκαίων παθημάτων τε καὶ πράξεων ἐφεστῶσαν ταῦτα μὲν μὴ βεβουλεῦσθαι γενέσθαι, ὅμως γε μὴν καὶ ἐν τούτοις διασώσειν τὸ ἐφʼ αὑτῆι εἰς αὑτὴν καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀναφέρουσαν οὐ γὰρ τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐφέψεσθαι, οἷον σώιζουσα τὸν κινδυνεύοντα, ἀλλʼ εἰ δοκοῖ αὐτῆι, καὶ προιεμένην τοῦτον καὶ τὸ ζῆν κελεύουσαν προίεσθαι καὶ χρήματα καὶ τέκνα καὶ αὐτὴν πατρίδα, σκοπὸν τὸ καλὸν αὐτῆς ἔχουσαν, ἀλλʼ οὐ τὸ εἶναι τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτήν ὥστε καὶ τὸ ἐν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτεξούσιον καὶ τὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν οὐκ εἰς τὸ πράττειν ἀνάγεσθαι οὐδʼ εἰς τὴν ἔξω, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὴν ἐντὸς ἐνέργειαν καὶ νόησιν καὶ θεωρίαν αὐτῆς τῆς ἀρετῆς.