Letter 241: The arrogant mind cannot follow the straight path because it cannot see it.

On magnanimity. To Heronius. Among Christians alone, that is, among those who are truly worthy of the name (let no one judge the religion from the perversity of the multitude), things most widely separated from one another are joined together. For magnanimity, while remaining pure of all arrogance and preserving its keenness of mind within a tranquil character, is supported as upon a column by fairness; for it brings in nothing of pride, but is blended with fairness, and, paradoxical as it is to say, it inclines toward lowliness, being moderate in mind by not exalting itself against its neighbors, while, by not bowing down before fears and dangers, but being superior even to flattery and servility, it displays its greatness of soul. For it does not define the servile man and the flatterer as moderate-minded, nor the insolent and boastful man as magnanimous; but, hunting after the good qualities of each, it shuns the troublesome ones, so that, having fled the vices that border closely upon the virtues, it may purely emerge as that very thing, virtue itself.

Περὶ μεγαλοφροσύνης. Παρὰ Χριστιανοῖς μόνοις, τοῖς γε ὡς ἀληθῶς τῆς προσηγορίας ἀξίοις, (μὴ γάρ, τις ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν σκαιότητος, κρινέτω τὴν θρησκείαν) συνάπτεται τὰ πλεῖστον ἀλλήλων διεστῶτα. Ἡ γὰρ μεγαλοφροσύνη πάσης αὐθαδείας καθαρεύουσα, καὶ ἐν σχολαίῳ τῷ ἤθει (59) τὸ ἀγχίνουν σώζουσα, ἐπιεικείᾳ κιονᾶται· ὑπερηφανίας γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐπαγομένη, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἐπιείκειαν κεκραμένη, ὅπερ παράδοξον εἰπεῖν, ἐκκλίνει τὴν ταπεινότητα τῷ μὲν μὴ ἐπαίρεσθαι κατὰ τῶν πέλας μετριοφρονοῦσα· τῷ δὲ μὴ ὑποκύπτειν τοῖς φόβοις καὶ τοῖς κινδύνοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ κολακείας καὶ δουλοπρεπείας ἀνωτέρα εἶναι, τὴν μεγαλοψυχίαν ἐπιδεικνυμένη. Οὐ γὰρ τὸν δουλοπρεπῆ καὶ κόλακα μιτριόφρονα ὁρίζεται, οὐδὲ τὸν αὐθάδη καὶ ἀλαζόνα, μεγαλόφρονα· ἀλλ' ἑκατέρων τὰ ἀγαθὰ θηρῶσα, τὰ δυσχερῆ ἐκκλίνει, ἵνα τὰς ἀγχιθύρους τῶν ἀρετῶν, κακίας φυγοῦσα (40), αὐτὴν καθαρῶς ἀναδύσηται, τὴν ἀρετήν.