It is thy duty then in the midst of such things to show good humor and not a proud air; to understand however that every man is worth just so much as the things are worth about which he busies himself.
In his personal reflections, Marcus Aurelius advises maintaining humility and understanding that a person's worth is defined by their pursuits.
Share
More from Marcus Aurelius
Whatever this is that I am, it is a little flesh and breath, and the ruling part.
I observed, too, that no man could ever think that he was despised by Maximus, or ever venture to think himself a better man.
One is that things do not touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our perturbations come only from the opinion which is within.
How ridiculous and what a stranger he is who is surprised at anything which happens in life.
Other voices in this conversation
