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Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430

"The Confessions of St. Augustine"

Whence is
this monstrousness? and to what end? The mind commands the body, and
it obeys instantly; the mind commands itself, and is resisted. The
mind commands the hand to be moved; and such readiness is there,
that command is scarce distinct from obedience. Yet the mind is
mind, the hand is body. The mind commands the mind, its own self, to
will, and yet it doth not. Whence this monstrousness? and to what end?
It commands itself, I say, to will, and would not command, unless it
willed, and what it commands is not done. But it willeth not entirely:
therefore doth it not command entirely. For so far forth it
commandeth, as it willeth: and, so far forth is the thing commanded,
not done, as it willeth not. For the will commandeth that there be a
will; not another, but itself. But it doth not command entirely,
therefore what it commandeth, is not. For were the will entire, it
would not even command it to be, because it would already be. It is
therefore no monstrousness partly to will, partly to nill, but a
disease of the mind, that it doth not wholly rise, by truth upborne,
borne down by custom.


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