Nor do I speak of a cunning humility that is often mere calculation, or, taken at its best, a timidity that has its root in pride—­a loan at usury that our vanity of to-day extends to our vanity of to-morrow.  And even the sage at times conceives it well to lower himself in his own self-esteem, and to deny superior merits that are his when comparing himself with other men.  Humility of this kind may throw a charm around our ways of life, but yet, sincere as it doubtless may be, it nevertheless attacks the loyalty due to ourselves, which we should value high above all.  And it surely implies a certain timidity of conscience; whereas the conscience of the sage should harbour neither timidity nor shame.  But by the side of this too personal humility there exists another humility that extends to all things, that is lofty and strong, that has fed on all that is best in our brain and our heart and our soul.  It is a humility that defines the limit of the hopes and adventures of men; that lessens us only to add to the grandeur of all we behold; that teaches us where we should look for the true importance of man, which lies not in that which he is, but in that which his eyes can take in, which he strives to accept and to grasp.  It is true that sorrow will also bring us to the realm of this humility; but it hastens us through, branching off on the road to a mysterious gate of hope, on whose threshold we lose many days; whereas happiness, that after the first few hours has nothing else left to do, will lead us in silence through path after path till we reach the most unforeseen, inaccessible places of all.  It is when the sage knows he possesses at last all man is allowed to possess, that he begins to perceive that it is his manner of regarding what man may never possess, that determines the value of such things as he truly may call his own.  And therefore must we long have sunned ourselves in the rays of happiness before we can truly conceive an independent view of life.  We must be happy, not for happiness’ sake, but so that we may learn to see distinctly that which vain expectation of happiness would for ever hide from our gaze.

91.  Economy avails us nothing in the region of the heart, for it is there that men gather the harvest of life’s very substance, it were better that nothing were done there than that things should be done by halves; and that which we have not dared to risk is most surely lost of all.  To limit our passions is only to limit ourselves, and we are the losers by just so much as we hoped to gain.  There are certain fastnesses within our soul that lie buried so deep that love alone dare venture down; and it returns laden with undreamed-of jewels, whose lustre can only be seen as they pass from our open hand to the hand of one we love.  And indeed it would seem that so clear a light springs from our hands as they open thus to give, that it penetrates substance too opaque to yield to the mysterious rays just discovered.