The sin of self – love conditions everything I see, and my entire soul, and every one of my faculties. And there's no remedy for this sin, it's so deeply rooted in my heart. I keep thinking that no – one's face is as gracious as mine is; no body as well – proportioned; no – one's integrity as sound. I regard myself as surpassing everyone else in everything. But when my mirror shows me what I'm really like – beaten and creased by ageing and the sun – I conclude the exact opposite to what my self – love tells me. To love myself so much would be a disgrace. It's you, my self, that I'm really praising when I praise myself, giving my old age the beauty of your youth.
