If thou didst ever see a hand cut off, or a foot, or a head, lying anywhere apart from the rest of the body, such does a man make himself, as far as he can, who is not content with what happens, and separates himself from others, or does anything unsocial.
In his personal reflections, Marcus Aurelius uses a vivid analogy to illustrate the self-inflicted harm of social isolation and discontent.
Share
More from Marcus Aurelius
There is one light of the sun, though it is interrupted by walls, mountains, and other things infinite.
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 if it is easy to set little value on all these things, turn to that which remains, which is to follow reason and God.
Other voices in this conversation
