On the one hand, Galen imposes very high standards in this area, claiming himself to have been “completely undistressed” by the fire in which he lost a huge number of valuables, including a major part of his own writings; in another sense, he manifests a realistic and down-to-earth approach, asserting that freedom from distress is possible so long as certain basic human needs are met. He acknowledges that certain circumstances might deprive him of his moral equilibrium—exile, for example, or injustice visited upon a friend—and hopes not to encounter those.