But the man who is of an energetic and active type, if he is
haunted by anxiety, if his imagination paints the possibilities of
disaster, takes every means in his power to foresee contingencies,
and to deal cautiously and thoroughly with the situation which
causes him anxiety. If he is a man of keen sensibilities, the
pressure of such care is so insupportable that he takes prompt and
effective measures to remove it; and his fear thus becomes an
element in his success, because it urges him to action, and at the
same time teaches him the need of due precaution. As Horace wrote:
"Sperat infestis, metuit secundis
Alteram sortem."
"He hopes for a change of fortune when things are menacing, he
fears a reverse when things are prosperous." And if we look at the
facts of life, we see that it is not by any means the confident and
optimistic people who succeed best in their designs. It is rather
the man of eager and ambitious temperament, who dreads a repulse and
anticipates it, and takes all possible measures beforehand to avoid
it.
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