《沉思录·卷十一·灵魂的属性》第2条
Thou wilt set little value on pleasing song and dancing and the pancratium, if thou wilt distribute the melody of the voice into its several sounds, and ask thyself as to each, if thou art mastered by this; for thou wilt be prevented by shame from confessing it: and in the matter of dancing, if at each movement and attitude thou wilt do the same; and the like also in the matter of the pancratium. In all things, then, except virtue and the acts of virtue, remember to apply thyself to their several parts, and by this division to come to value them little: and apply this rule also to thy whole life.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这里教给自己一种消解事物魅力的方法，一种精神上的分解练习。他的推理直截了当：任何看上去迷人、令人心向往之的东西，无论是悦耳的歌曲、优美的舞蹈还是激烈的角力，只要你把它拆解成最基本的构成部分，一个音一个音地听，一个动作一个动作地看，然后单独面对那个被剥离了整体意蕴的碎片，问自己：我是否被这一个声音、这一个姿态所主宰？你会在羞耻感的阻止下，无法承认。因…