He who has a vehement desire for posthumous fame does not consider that every one of those who remember him will himself also die very soon; then again also they who have succeeded them, until the whole remembrance shall have been extinguished as it is transmitted through men who foolishly admire and perish.
In his philosophical meditations, this passage critiques the desire for posthumous fame by highlighting the transient nature of memory and those who hold it.
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What remains, except to enjoy life by joining one good thing to another so as not to leave even the smallest intervals between?
But if it is easy to set little value on all these things, turn to that which remains, which is to follow reason and God.
Reflecting on all this, consider nothing to be great, except to act as thy nature leads thee, and to endure that which the common nature brings.
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