"Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius

• Mareus sought by-laws to protect the weak, to make the lot of the slaves less hard, to stand in place of father to the fatherless.
• The Stoics aspired to the repression of all emotion, and the Epicureans to freedom from all disturbances.
• Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, was born in Cyprus at some date unknown, but his life may be said roughly to be between the years 350 and 250 B.C.
• The Stoics regarded speculation as a means to an end and that end was, as Zeno put it, to live consistently omologenuenws zhn or as it was later explained, to live in conformity with nature.
• In order to live in accord with nature, it is necessary to know what nature is; and to this end a threefold division of philosophy is made--into physics, dealing with the universe and its laws, the problems of divine government and teleology; logic, which trains the mind to discern true from false; and ethics, which applies the knowledge thus gained and tested to practical life.
• The highest good was the virtuous life. Virtue alone is happiness, and vice is unhappiness.
• The ideal Wise Man is sufficient unto himself in all things, autarkhs and knowing these truths, he will be happy even when stretched upon the rack.
• Two points in the Stoic system deserve special mention. One is a careful distinction between things which are in our power and things which are not. The second point is a strong insistence on the unity of the universe, and on main’s duty as part of a great whole.
• What the heart is full of, the man will do.
• There is but a certain limit of time appointed unto thee, which if thou shalt not make use of to calm and allay the many distempers of thy soul, it will pass away and thou with it, and never return.
• Let it be they earnest and incessant care as a Roman and a man to perform whatsoever it is that thou art about, with true and unfeigned gravity, natural affection, freedom, and justice: and as for all other cares, and imaginations, how thou mayest ease thy mind of them.
• Give thyself leisure to learn some good thing, and cease roving and wandering to and fro.
• If thou shouldst live three thousand, or as many as ten thousands of years, yet remember this, that man can part with no life properly, save with that little part of life, which he now lives: and that which he lives, is no other, than that which at every instant he parts with.
• Our life is a warfare, and a mere pilgrimage. Fame after life is no better than oblivion.
• A man must not only consider how daily his life wasteth and decreaseth, but this also, that if he live long, ha cannot be certain, whether his understanding shall continue so able and sufficient, for either discrete consideration, in matter of business; or for contemplation: it being the thing, whereon true knowledge of things both divine and human, doth depend.
• Thou must hasten therefore; not only because thou art every day nearer unto death than other, but also because that intellective faculty in thee, whereby thou art enabled to know the true nature of things, and to order all thy actions by that knowledge, doth daily waste and decay: or, may fail thee before thou die.
• Spend not the remnant of thy days, in thoughts and fancies concerning other men, when it is not in relation to some common good, when by it thou art hindered from some other better work.
• The time therefore that any man doth live, is but a little, and the place where he liveth, is but a very little corner of the earth, and the greatest fame that can remain of a man after his death, even that is but little, and that too, such as it is whilst is is, is by the succession of silly mortal men preserved, who likewise shall shortly die, and even whilst they live know not what in very deed they themselves are: and much less can know one, who long before is dead and gone.
• Let nothing be done rashly, and at random, but all things according to the most exact and perfect rules of art.
• Death hangs over thee: whilst yet thou livest, whilst thou mayest, be good.
• Thou must be like a promontory of the sea, against which though the waves beat continually, yet it both stands, and about it are those swelling waves stilled and quieted.
• Think thyself fit and worthy to speak, or to do anything that is according to nature, and let not the reproach, or report of some that may ensure upon it, ever deter thee.
• Look not for applause and commendation.
• Wheresoever thou mayest live, there it is in thy power to live well and happy.
• Within a very little while, thou wilt be either ashes, or a sceletum; and a name perchance; and perchance, not so much as a name. And what is that but an empty sound, and a rebounding echo? Those things which in this life are dearest unto us, and of most account, they are in themselves but vain, putrid, contemptible.
• The best kind of revenge is, not to become like unto them.
• Death is a cessation from the impression of the sense, the tyranny of the passion, the errors of the mind, and the servitude of the body.
• Keep thyself therefore, truly simple, good, sincere, grave, free from all ostentation, a lover of that which is just, religious, kind, tender-hearted, strong and vigorous to undergo anything that becomes thee.
• Charitable actions, and a holy disposition, is the only fruit of this earthly life.
• There is nothing that is new. All things that are, are both usual and of little continuance.
• Let not things future trouble thee. For if necessity so require that they come to pass, thou shalt (whensoever that is) be provided for them with the same reason, by which whatsoever is not present, is made both tolerable and acceptable unto thee.
• Whatsoever any man either doth or saith, thou must be good; not for any man’s sake, but for thine own nature's sake; as if either gold, or the emerald, or purple, should ever be saying to themselves, Whatsoever any man either doth or saith, I must still be an emerald, and I must keep my colour.
• Fancy not to thyself things future, as though they were present but of those that are present, take some aside, that thou takest most benefit of, and consider of them particularly, how wonderfully thou wouldst want them, if they were not present.
• That therefore which is chief in every man’s constitution, is, that he intend the common good. The second is, that he yield not to any lusts and motions of the flesh. The third thing proper to man by his constitution, is, to avoid all rashness and precipitancy; and not to be subject to error. To these things then, let the mind apply herself and go straight on, without any distraction about other things, and she hath her end, and by consequent her happiness.
• This thou must ever be mindful of, as of this also, that a man’s true happiness doth consist in very few things.
• Then hath a man attained to the estate of perfection in his life and conversation, when he so spends every day, as if it were his last day: never hot and vehement in his affections, nor yet so cold and stupid as one that had no sense; and free from all manner of dissimulation.
• When thou art hard to be stirred up and awaked out of thy sleep, admonish thyself and call to mind, that, to perform actions tending to the common good is that which thine own proper constitution, and that which the nature of man do require.
• As every fancy and imagination presents itself unto thee, consider (if it be possible) the true nature, and the proper qualities of it, and reason with thyself about it.
• At thy first encounter with any one, say presently to thyself: This man, what are his opinions concerning that which is good or evil?
• If it were thine act and in thine own power, wouldst thou do it? If it were not, whom dost tin accuse? The atoms, or the Gods? For to do either, the part of a mad man. Thou must therefore blame nobody, but if it be in thy power, redress what is amiss; if it be not, to what end is it to complain? For nothing should be done but to some certain end.
• And as for fame. This life is short. Both he that praiseth, and he that is praised; he that remembers, and he that is remembered, will soon be dust and ashes.
• Contract thy whole life to the measure and proportion of one single action. And if in every particular action thou dost perform what is fitting to the utmost of thy power, let it suffice thee.
• It were indeed more happy and comfortable, for a man to depart out of this world, having lived all his life long clear from all falsehood, dissimulation, voluptuousness, and pride.
• For a far greater plague is the corruption of the mind, than any certain change and distemper of the common air can be.
• Toys and fooleries at home, wars abroad: sometimes terror, sometimes torpor, or stupid sloth: this is the daily slavery. By little and little, if thou doest not better look to it, those sacred dogmata will be blotted out of thy mind.
• What is that that is slow, and yet quick? Merry, and yet grave? He that in all things doth follow reason for his guide.
• To live happily is an inward power of the soul.
• For he that does regard neither his body, nor his clothing, nor his dwelling, nor any such external furniture, must needs gain unto himself great rest and ease. Three things there be in all, which thou doest consist of; thy body, thy life, and thy mind.
• Let these be the objects of thy ordinary meditation: to consider, what manner of men both for soul and body we ought to be, whensoever death shall surprise us: the shortness of this our mortal life: the immense vastness of the time that hath been before, and will he after us: the frailty of every worldly material object: all these things to consider, and behold clearly in themselves, all disguisement of external outside being removed and taken away.
• If it be not fitting, do it not. If it be not true, speak it not. Ever maintain thine own purpose and resolution free from all compulsion and necessity.
• To do nothing rashly without some certain end; let that be thy first care. The next, to have no other end than the common good.
• When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own--not of the same blood or birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt my. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands, and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are obstructions.
• Concentrate every minute like a Roman--like a man--on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions. Yes, you can--if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what you mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable. You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? If you can manage this that’s all even the gods can ask of you.
• You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and thin.
• Don’t waste the rest of your time here worrying about other people--unless it affects the common good. It will keep you from doing anything useful. You’ll be too preoccupied with what so-and-so is doing, and why, and what they’re saying, and what they’re thinking and what they’re up to, and all the other things that throw you off and keep you from focusing on your own mind.
• You need to avoid certain things in your train of thought: everything random, everything irrelevant. And certainly everything self-important or malicious.
• No surplus words or unnecessary actions.
• Nowhere you can go is more peaceful--more free of interruptions--than you own souls. Especially if you have other things to rely on.
• Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you'll have more time, and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, “Is this necessary?” But we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well. To eliminate the unnecessary actions that follow.
• In short, know this: Human lives are brief and trivial. Yesterday a blob of semen; tomorrow embalming fluid, ash.
• Take the shortest rout, the one that nature planned--to speak and act in the healthiest way. Do that, and be free of pain and stress, free of all calculation and pretension.
• Soon you’ll be ashes, or bones. A mere name, at most--and even that is just a sound, an echo. The things we want in life are empty, stale, and trivial.
• I do what is mine to do; the rest doesn’t disturb me. The rest is inanimate, or has no logos, or it wanders at random and has lost the road.
• Death. The end of sense-perception, of being controlled by our emotions, of mental activity, of enslavement to our bodies.
• The only thing that isn’t worthless: to live this life out truthfully and rightly. And be patient with those who don’t.
• Practice really hearing what people say. Do your best to get inside their minds.
• Remember that our own worth is measured by what we devote our energy to.
• Don’t be ashamed to need help.
• Treat what you don’t have as nonexistent. Look at what you have, the things you value most, and think of how much you’d crave them if you didn’t have them. But be careful. Don’t feel such satisfaction that you start to overvalue them--that it would upset you to lose them.
• Don’t pay attention to other people’s minds. Look straight ahead, where nature is leading you--nature in general, through the things that happen to you; and your own nature, through your own actions.
• It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.
• Don’t be overheard complaining about life at court. Not even to yourself.
• Blame no one. Set people straight, if you can. If not, just repair the damage. And suppose you can’t do that either. Then where does blaming people get you? No pointless actions.
• Don’t let your imagination be crushed by life as a whole. Don’t try to picture everything bad that could possibly happen. Stick with the situation at hand, and ask, “Why is this unbearable? Why can’t I endure it?” You’ll be embarrassed to answer. Then remind yourself that past and future have no power over you. Only the present--and even that can be minimized. Just mark off its limits. And if your mind tries to claim that it can’t hold out against that...well, then, heap shame upon it.
• External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now. If the problem is something in your own character, who’s stopping you from setting your mind straight? And if it’s that you’re not doing something you think you should be, why not just do it?
• To stop talking about what the good man is like, and just be on.
• When you start to lose your temper, remember: There’s nothing manly about rage. It’s courtesy and kindness that define a human being--and a man. That’s who possess strength and nerves and guts, not the angry whiners. To react like that brings you closer to impassivity--and so to strength. Pain is the opposite of strength, and so is anger. Both are things we suffer from, and yield to.
• If you don’t have a consistent goal in life, you can’t live it in a consistent way.
• It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.