Smith issues practical imperatives that solitude leads us to brood and overweight our own problems, so when down we should go into the world; conversation with a friend improves our temper, but conversation with a stranger improves it still more because a friend may indulge our brooding while a stranger will not, lifting us toward a wider, more impartial perspective—and conversely, when we feel like a big shot we should seek out people independent of us who will not flatter us.