Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aureliuswas Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169. Marcus Aurelius was the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors. He was a practitioner of Stoicism, and his untitled writing, commonly known as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, is the most significant source of our modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth26 April 121
CityRome, Italy
men duty
It is the duty of men to love even those who injure them.
giving needs
Each of us needs what nature gives us, when nature gives us.
past hands imagination
Don't let your imagination to be crushed by life as a whole. Don't try to pictures everything bad that could possibly happen. Stick with the situation at hand. ...Then remind yourself that past and present have no power over you. Only the present.
horse vines sun
Everything is here for a purpose, from horses to vine shoots. What's surprising about that? Even the sun will tell you, "I have a purpose," and the other goods as well.
stupid people way
If it's in your control, why do you do it? If it's in someone else's control, then who are you blaming? Atoms? The gods? Stupid either way. Blame no one. Set people straight, if you can. If not, just repair the damage.
mind
Enter others' minds and let them enter yours.
people
People exist for one another.
assessment problem erase
External things are not the problem. It's your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.
people mind different
People find pressure in different ways. I find it in keeping my mind clear. In not turning away from people or the things that happen to them. In accepting and welcoming everything I see. In treating each thing as it deserves.
goodbye live-your-life pleasant-surprises
Live your life as if you are ready to say goodbye to it at any moment, as if the time left for you were some pleasant surprise.
circles eternity form
All things from eternity are of like forms and come round in circle.
eye hands feet
We are born for synergy, just like the feet, just like the hands, just like the eyes, just like the rows of upper and lower teeth. Working against each other is unnatural, and being annoyed and turning one's back is counterproductive.
country thinking towns
Think of the country mouse and of the town mouse, and of the alarm and trepidation of the town mouse.
eye vision done
They know not how many things are signified by the words stealing, sowing, buying, keeping quiet, seeing what ought to be done; for this is not effected by the eyes, but by another kind of vision.