Chapter XXXVI: Part THREE: The Heroic Biographies

I prepare myself by the study of history and the practice of
writing. So doing, I welcome always in my soul the memory of the
best and most renowned of men. For whenever the enforced
associations of daily life arouse worthless, evil, or ignoble
feelings, I am able to repel these feelings and to keep them at a
distance, by dispassionately turning my thoughts to contemplate the
brightest examples.

PLUTARCH, _Preamble to the Life of Timoleon_.