7. JanuaryMost of what we say and do is not necessary. Whoever leaves it out has more calm and less trouble. So ask yourself of every thing: Does this belong to what is necessary? — and leave out not only unnecessary actions but also unnecessary thoughts: then no superfluous deeds will follow them either. 5. FebruaryLife is like a game of dice: how the dice fall is not up to me. But to place the fallen ones carefully and skilfully — that is my task. 19. MarchThe helmsman's art promises him not the sea but the helm. The storm hinders the ship — not the helmsman's art. 24. MarchSocrates never stopped asking: What is piety? What is justice? Whoever does not examine the words he uses builds his actions on fog. 15. MayThe seeker after truth first mistrusts what he believes he sees. Test every impression by observation and reason before you follow it. 15. JuneOf each thing ask: What is it in its essence? What is its matter, what its cause? What does it do in the world — and how long does it last? 12. JulyMan is the measure of all things, it is said. But consider: then your judgement, too, is only a measure — yours, not that of the thing itself. Examine who is doing the measuring before you trust the measure. 27. JulyTo know what one knows, and to know what one does not know — that is knowledge.