Marc Aurèle citations (412 citations, Page 8)

Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV, 23
Original: Πᾶν μοι συναρμόζει ὃ σοὶ εὐάρμοστόν ἐστιν, ὦ κόσμε· οὐδέν μοι πρόωρον οὐδὲ ὄψιμον ὃ σοὶ εὔκαιρον. πᾶν μοι καρπὸς ὃ φέρουσιν αἱ σαὶ ὧραι, ὦ φύσις· ἐκ σοῦ πάντα, ἐν σοὶ πάντα, εἰς σὲ πάντα. ἐκεῖνος μέν φησιν·

“From Antisthenes: It is royal to do good and be abused.”

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VII, 36
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

“He who fears death either fears to lose all sensation or fears new sensations. In reality, you will either feel nothing at all, and therefore nothing evil, or else, if you can feel any sensations, you will be a new creature, and so will not have ceased to have life.”

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VIII, 58
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VIII

“Think not disdainfully of death, but look on it with favor; for even death is one of the things that Nature wills.”

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IX, 3
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IX

“Death hangs over thee: whilst yet thou livest, whilst thou mayest, be good.”

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IV, 14 (trans. Meric Casaubon)
τὸ χρεὼν ἐπήρτηται· ἕως ζῇς, ἕως ἔξεστιν, ἀγαθὸς γενοῦ.
IV, 17 (trans.George Long)
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV
Variante: Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.

“All things are the same,—familiar in enterprise, momentary in endurance, coarse in substance. All things now are as they were in the day of those whom we have buried.”

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IX, 14
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IX

“Prize that which is best in the universe; and this is that which useth everything and ordereth everything.”

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V, 21
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book V

“It is not right to vex ourselves at things, For they care not about it.”

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VII, 38
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

“One man prays thus: How shall I be able to lie with that woman? Do thou pray thus: How shall I not desire to lie with her? Another prays: How shall I be released from this? Another prays: How shall I not desire to be released? Another thus: How shall I not lose my little son? Thou thus: How shall I not be afraid to lose him? In fine, turn thy prayers this way, and see what comes.”

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IX, 40
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IX

“No state sorrier than that of the man who keeps up a continual round, and pries into "the secrets of the nether world," as saith the poet, and is curious in conjecture of what is in his neighbour's heart.”

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II, 13
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book II

“Remember that the term Rational was intended to signify a discriminating attention to every several thing and freedom from negligence; and that Equanimity is the voluntary acceptance of things which are assigned to thee by the common nature; and the Magnanimity is the elevation of the intelligent part above the pleasurable or painful sensations of the flesh, and above that poor thing called fame, and death, and all such things. If then, thou maintainest thyself in the possession of these names, without desiring to be called by these names by others, thou wilt be another person and wilt enter into another life.”

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X, 8
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book X

“Let your occupations be few," says the sage, "if you would lead a tranquil life.”

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Ὀλίγα πρῆσσε, φησίν, εἰ μέλλεις εὐθυμήσειν
IV, 24
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV

“It is a base thing for the countenance to be obedient and to regulate and compose itself as the mind commands, and for the mind not to be regulated and composed by itself.”

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VII, 37
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

“Always take the short cut; and that is the rational one. Therefore say and do everything according to soundest reason.”

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IV, 51
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV

“You don't love yourself enough. Or you'd love your nature too, and what it demands of you. People who love what they do wear themselves down doing it, they even forget to wash or eat. Do you have less respect for your own nature than the engraver does for engraving, the dancer for the dance, the miser for money or the social climber for status? When they're really possessed by what they do, they'd rather stop eating and sleeping than give up practicing their arts. Is helping others less valuable to you? Not worth your effort?”

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Hays translation
V, 1
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book V

“A little time, and thou shalt close thy eyes; and him who has attended thee to thy grave, another soon will lament.”

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X, 34
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book X

“Things that have a common quality ever quickly seek their kind.”

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IX, 9
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IX

“He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world without having tasted of lying or pretence of any sort, or of wantonness or conceit.”

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IX, 2
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IX

“It is crazy to want what is impossible. And impossible for the wicked not to do so. (Hays translation)”

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To seek what is impossible is madness: and it is impossible that the bad should not do something of this kind.
Τὸ τὰ ἀδύνατα διώκειν μανικόν· ἀδύνατον δὲ τὸ τοὺς φαύλους μὴ τοιαῦτά τινα ποιεῖν.
V, 17
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book V

“Some people, when they do someone a favor, are always looking for a chance to call it in. And some aren't, but they're still aware of it--still regard it as a debt. But others don't even do that. They're like a vine that produces grapes without looking for anything in return.”

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Hays translation
A man makes no noise over a good deed, but passes on to another as a vine to bear grapes again in season.
V, 6
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book V

“As for life, it is a battle and a sojourning in a strange land; but the fame that comes after is oblivion.”

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II, 17
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book II

“It is man's peculiar duty to love even those who wrong him.”

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VII, 22
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

“Why then dost thou choose to act in the same way? and why dost thou not leave these agitations which are foreign to nature, to those who cause them and those who are moved by them? And why art thou not altogether intent upon the right way of making use of things which happen to thee? for then thou wilt use them well, and they will be material for thee. Only attend to thyself, and resolve to be a good man in every act which thou doest; and remember…”

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VII, 58
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

“Be not unwilling in what thou doest, neither selfish nor unadvised nor obstinate; let not over-refinement deck out thy thought; be not wordy nor a busybody.”

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III, 5
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book III

“Art thou angry with him whose arm-pits stink? art thou angry with him whose mouth smells foul? What good will this anger do thee?”

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Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book V, 28

“To change your mind and to follow him who sets you right is to be nonetheless the free agent that you were before.”

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Remember that to change thy opinion and to follow him who corrects thy error is as consistent with freedom as it is to persist in thy error. (Long translation)
VIII, 16
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VIII

“Whatever this is that I am, it is flesh and a little spirit and an intelligence. (Hays translation)”

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This that I am, whatever it be, is mere flesh and a little breathe and the ruling Reason (Haines translation)
This Being of mine, whatever it really is, consists of a little flesh, a little breath, and the part which governs.
A little flesh, a little breath, and a Reason to rule all – that is myself.
II, 2
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book II