Carry thy thoughts then to the objects themselves, and consider how short-lived they are and worthless, and that they may be in the possession of a filthy wretch or a whore or a robber.
In his private meditations, Marcus Aurelius instructs himself to contemplate the fleeting and indiscriminate nature of material possessions.
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And how small a part of the whole substance; and how small a part of the universal soul; and on what a small clod of the whole earth thou creepest!
But intellect in a peculiar manner tends to that which is of the same kin, and combines with it, and the feeling for communion is not interrupted.
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!
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.
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