Think of the universal substance, of which thou hast a very small portion; and of universal time, of which a short and indivisible interval has been assigned to thee; and of that which is fixed by destiny, and how small a part of it thou art.
Marcus Aurelius encourages reflection on one's minuscule place within the vastness of universal substance, time, and destiny.
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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!
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.
But it is inconsistent with honoring reason and God to be troubled because by death a man will be deprived of the other things.
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