“My son, there is no happiness without courage, nor virtue without a struggle.  The word virtue is derived from a word signifying strength, and strength is the foundation of all virtue.  Virtue is the heritage of a creature weak by nature but strong by will; that is the whole merit of the righteous man; and though we call God good we do not call Him virtuous, because He does good without effort.  I waited to explain the meaning of this word, so often profaned, until you were ready to understand me.  As long as virtue is quite easy to practise, there is little need to know it.  This need arises with the awakening of the passions; your time has come.

“When I brought you up in all the simplicity of nature, instead of preaching disagreeable duties, I secured for you immunity from the vices which make such duties disagreeable; I made lying not so much hateful as unnecessary in your sight; I taught you not so much to give others their due, as to care little about your own rights; I made you kindly rather than virtuous.  But the kindly man is only kind so long as he finds it pleasant; kindness falls to pieces at the shook of human passions; the kindly man is only kind to himself.

“What is meant by a virtuous man?  He who can conquer his affections; for then he follows his reason, his conscience; he does his duty; he is his own master and nothing can turn him from the right way.  So far you have had only the semblance of liberty, the precarious liberty of the slave who has not received his orders.  Now is the time for real freedom; learn to be your own master; control your heart, my Emile, and you will be virtuous.

“There is another apprenticeship before you, an apprenticeship more difficult than the former; for nature delivers us from the evils she lays upon us, or else she teaches us to submit to them; but she has no message for us with regard to our self-imposed evils; she leaves us to ourselves; she leaves us, victims of our own passions, to succumb to our vain sorrows, to pride ourselves on the tears of which we should be ashamed.

“This is your first passion.  Perhaps it is the only passion worthy of you.  If you can control it like a man, it will be the last; you will be master of all the rest, and you will obey nothing but the passion for virtue.

“There is nothing criminal in this passion; I know it; it is as pure as the hearts which experience it.  It was born of honour and nursed by innocence.  Happy lovers! for you the charms of virtue do but add to those of love; and the blessed union to which you are looking forward is less the reward of your goodness than of your affection.  But tell me, O truthful man, though this passion is pure, is it any the less your master?  Are you the less its slave?  And if to-morrow it should cease to be innocent, would you strangle it on the spot?  Now is the time to try your strength; there is no time for that in hours of danger.  These perilous efforts should be made when danger is still afar.  We do not practise the use of our weapons when we are face to face with the enemy, we do that before the war; we come to the battle-field ready prepared.