The Virtue Paradox

[sdi]

At the purificatory level, "wisdom" consists in the soul's not sharing any opinions with the body, but acting on its own, and this is perfected by the pure exercise of the intellect; "moderation" is the result of taking care not to assent to any of the passions; "courage" is not being afraid to depart from the body, as if one were falling into some void of not-being; and "justice" is the result of reason and intellect dominating the soul with nothing to oppose them. [Porphyry, Sentences XXXII, as translated by John Dillon]

Isn't it funny how we spend so much time and effort and pain in mastering the virtues only, once we are with the angels, to never need them again? It is like how we take years of effort to learn language only, once having mastered it, to never think about it again.