Consider what precedes and what may follow every act

In every act consider what precedes and what follows, and then proceed to the act. If you do not consider, you will at first begin with spirit, since you have not thought at all of the things which follow, but afterward, when some consequences have shown themselves, you will basely desist. Epictetus. The Discourses. Chapter 15.

Image: Venus Callipige found in Nero's Domus Aurea 1st century CE that became part of the Farnese Collection now on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, Italy. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor ho visto nina volare via Flickr.