Voluptatibus itaque se mergunt quibus in consuetudinem adductis carere non possunt, et ob hoc miserrimi sunt, quod eo pervenerunt ut illis quae supervacua fuerant facta sint necessaria. Serviunt itaque voluptatibus, non fruuntur, et mala sua, quod malorum ultimum est, et amant; tunc autem est consummata infelicitas, ubi turpia non solum delectant sed etiam placent, et desinit esse remedio locus ubi quae fuerant vitia mores sunt.
Todėl daugelis ir skęsta malonumuose, be kurių negali apsieiti, nes prie jų įprato. Tokie yra patys nelaimingiausi, nes nuėjo taip toli, kad tai, kas jiems kadaise buvo nereikalinga, dabar pasidarė būtinybė. Taigi jie ne naudojasi malonumais, bet jiems vergauja ir žavisi savo ydomis. O tai jau yra didžiausia blogybė. Nelaimės bedugnę pasiekia tas, kuriam šlykštynės ne tik malonios, bet ir patinka. Nėra vaistų tam, kurio nusižengimai virto įpročiais.
It is for this reason that men sink themselves in pleasures, and they cannot do without them when once they have become accustomed to them, and for this reason they are most wretched, because they have reached such a pass that what was once superfluous to them has become indispensable. And so they are the slaves of their pleasures instead of enjoying them; they even love their own ills,—and that is the worst ill of all! Then it is that the height of unhappiness is reached, when men are not only attracted, but even pleased, by shameful things, and when there is no longer any room for a cure, now that those things which once were vices have become habits.