Marcus Aurelius

Short is the little which remains to thee of life.

To her who gives and takes back all, to nature, the man who is instructed and modest says, Give what thou wilt; take back what thou wilt.

Inquire of thyself as soon as thou wakest from sleep whether it will make any difference to thee if another does what is just and right.

He who follows reason in all things is both tranquil and active at the same time, and also cheerful and collected.

For it is best to reach this object, and if thou dost fail, let thy failure be in attempting this.

But if any other things oppose thee, go on according to thy powers with due consideration, keeping to that which appears to be just.

And if thou seest clear, go by this way content, without turning back; but if thou dost not see clear, stop and take the best advisers.

What need is there of suspicious fear, since it is in thy power to inquire what ought to be done?

Such a man has put off the body, and as he sees that he must, no one knows how soon, go away from among men and leave everything here, he gives himself up entirely to just doing in all his actions, and in everything else that happens he…

A spider is proud when it has caught a fly, and another when he has caught a poor hare, and another when he has taken a little fish in a net, and another when he has taken wild boars, and another when he has taken bears, and another when…

These fighters were the Bestiarri, some of whom may have been criminals; but even if they were, the exhibition was equally characteristic of the depraved habits of the spectators.

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 on another life.

When thou hast assumed these names, good, modest, true, rational, a man of equanimity, and magnanimous, take care that thou dost not change these names; and if thou shouldst lose them, quickly return to them.

Now, if these things are done so, life must flow on happily, just as thou mayst observe that the life of a citizen is happy, who continues a course of action which is advantageous to his fellow-citizens, and is content with whatever the…

And inasmuch as I am in a manner intimately related to the parts which are of the same kind with myself, I shall do nothing unsocial, but I shall rather direct myself to the things which are of the same kind with myself, and I shall turn…

By remembering, then, that I am a part of such a whole, I shall be content with everything that happens.

For remembering this, inasmuch as I am a part, I shall be discontented with none of the things which are assigned to me out of the whole; for nothing is injurious to the part if it is for the advantage of the whole.

Whatever may happen to thee, it was prepared for thee from all eternity; and the implication of causes was from eternity spinning the thread of thy being, and of that which is incident to it (iii. 11; iv. 26).

If a man is mistaken, instruct him kindly and show him his error.

Remember, however, that thou art formed by nature to bear everything, with respect to which it depends on thy own opinion to make it endurable and tolerable, by thinking that it is either thy interest or thy duty to do this.

But if it happens in such wise as thou art not formed by nature to bear it, do not complain, for it will perish after it has consumed thee.

If, then, it happens to thee in such way as thou art formed by nature to bear it, do not complain, but bear it as thou art formed by nature to bear it.

Everything which happens either happens in such wise as thou art formed by nature to bear it, or as thou art not formed by nature to bear it.

Wilt thou, then, my soul, never be good and simple and one and naked, more manifest than the body which surrounds thee?

For what more dost thou want when thou hast done a man a service? art thou not content that thou hast done something conformable to thy nature, and dost thou seek to be paid for it? just as if the eye demanded a recompense for seeing, or…