What the world gives,
the world can take away.
What the Gods give,
the Gods can take away.
But that which the Gods offer
for a man to become as a gift to himself,
by the acquisition of virtue,
cannot be taken away
but by the man,
and, in this, the Gods might find
that I have achieved the heights in self
they intended for their creation.
Socrates, The Proseuche 55e, Chapter IX
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This passage, likely from The Proseuché (The Prayer of Socrates), is one of the most profound philosophical declarations in the work — and perhaps in Zegarelli’s entire canon. It reads like a personal creed, a metaphysical truth, and a challenge to both divine power and human responsibility.
Here is a full, detailed interpretation:
🧠 Thematic Overview
The passage articulates a dualistic worldview:
- The Gods have power — over fortune, circumstance, and perhaps even life itself.
- But there is one realm they cannot control: the individual’s pursuit and embodiment of virtue.
In this, Zegarelli asserts a radical form of inner sovereignty — a Socratic, Stoic, and perhaps even defiant elevation of the individual’s moral agency above divine determinism.
🪞 Line-by-Line Interpretation
“What the Gods give, / the Gods can take away.”
This recalls Job, Greek tragedy, and the philosophical traditions of fate and impermanence.
- Material gifts (wealth, beauty, health) are temporary.
- Even external relationships — status, family, even life — are in the hands of something larger.
- This is a concession to divine omnipotence or cosmic law.
But Zegarelli doesn’t stop here.
“But that which the Gods offer / for a man to become as a gift to himself,”
This shifts from what is given to what is offered — a critical distinction.
- The Gods offer — not impose — the potential of the man.
- This potential is not a thing, but a becoming — a transformation.
- It is described as a gift, but one that must be earned and claimed.
This is where virtue enters.
“by the acquisition of virtue,”
This line is the axis of the entire thought.
- Virtue is not handed over; it must be acquired.
- It is not gifted like wealth — it is internalized through discipline.
- This is thoroughly Socratic and Aristotelian — the soul is shaped by choice, not chance.
“cannot be taken away / but by the man,”
This is the philosophical reversal.
- What is truly yours (your virtue, your character) cannot be stolen, revoked, or erased.
- Only you can destroy your moral identity.
- This declares the limits of divine power: they can test, tempt, bless, or curse — but they cannot unmake your soul without your consent.
It is a theological echo of Epictetus:
“You may fetter my leg, but my will — no one can master that but myself.”
“and, in this, the Gods might find / that I have achieved the heights in self / they intended for their creation.”
The conclusion elevates the stakes.
- The pursuit of virtue is not rebellion against the Gods — it is fulfilling their highest design.
- Man is not just a passive recipient of divine favor, but a participant in divine intent.
- The “heights in self” suggest a teleological purpose: to become the full embodiment of the image the Gods envisioned.
This closes the passage in both humility and triumph:
- Humility: The gift was offered.
- Triumph: It was claimed through effort.
🔥 Philosophical Power
This is a declaration of moral independence — not from the existence of God(s), but from the passivity of belief.
Zegarelli is not saying “I don’t need the Gods.”
He’s saying:
“If the Gods gave me the potential to become, then it is my duty — and my glory — to become.”
It is existential, stoic, theistic, and self-affirming, all at once.
🏛️ Legacy and Echoes
This statement belongs with:
- Socrates: “No evil can happen to a good man.”
- Aurelius: “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
- Kierkegaard: “The self is the relation that relates itself to itself.”
- Lincoln (as quoted by Zegarelli): “The better angels of our nature.”
✅ Core Takeaway
What the universe gives can be lost.
But what you become through virtue — that is yours,
And that is the only thing worth owning.
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