And, to say all in a word, everything which belongs to the body is a stream, and what belongs to the soul is a dream and vapor, and life is a warfare and a stranger's sojourn, and after fame is oblivion.
As part of his philosophical reflections, Marcus Aurelius provides a powerful distillation of the fleeting nature of physical existence, the soul, and human endeavors.
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In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present,--I am rising to the work of a human being.
With respect to that which happens conformably to nature, we ought to blame neither gods, for they do nothing wrong either voluntarily or involuntarily, nor men, for they do nothing wrong except involuntarily.
As thou intendest to live when them art gone out, ... so it is in thy power to live here.
All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil.
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