37.1 ἐὰν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἀναλάβῃς τι πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἠσχημόνησας καί ὃ ἠδύνασο ἐκπληρῶσαι παρέλιπες.
notes
Don't Exceed Your Capabilities
ἀναλάβῃς: 2 sg. aor. act. subj. in present general condition (G. 650; S. 2995.1)
πρόσωπον: “social role.” The word basically means “face,” but is extended to refer to a mask, a theatrical or literary character, a physical person or individual, and a persona or role that one can fill (ἐκπληρῶσαι) well or poorly. According to the fullest Stoic accounts, we have four personae according to 1) our nature as human beings; 2) our individual natures; 3) the circumstances imposed on us by chance and time (e.g., into what city we were born); and 4) the choices we make based on the kind of life we want to lead (Smith 2014).
ἠσχημόνησας ... παρέλιπες: gnomic aorists to be translated as present (G. 465; S. 1931)
vocabulary
ἀναλαμβάνω, ἀναλήψομαι, ἀνέλαβον, to take up, undertake
ἀσχημονέω, to behave badly/unseemly, disgrace oneself
ἐκπλορόω, to fulfill, handle completely
παραλείπω, παραλείψω, παρέλιπον, to pass over, fail to achieve