Marcus Aurelius: “I do it with reference to the good of mankind.”

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.

But everything else, whether it is in the power of thy will or not, is only lifeless ashes and smoke.

There is one intelligent soul, though it seems to be divided.

How small a part of the boundless and unfathomable time is assigned to every man, for it is very soon swallowed up in the eternal!