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
climbing mountain littles
Short is the little time which remains to thee of life. Live as on a mountain.
men bird ants
Pray look upon the plants and birds, the ants, spiders, and bees, and you will see them all exerting their nature, and busy in their station. Pray, shall not a man act like a man?
enlightenment limits gone
Your time has a limit set to it. Use it, then, to advance your enlightenment; or it will be gone, and never in your power again.
taken opinion harm
Take away your opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint, 'I have been harmed.' Take away the complaint, 'I have been harmed,' and the harm is taken away.
strong time sight
Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.
life depression insanity
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
men problem despise
If any man despises me, that is his problem. My only concern is not doing or saying anything deserving of contempt.
live-life past serenity
If you separate from . . . everything you have done in the past, everything that disturbs you about the future . . . and apply yourself to living the life that you are living-that is to say, the present-you can live all the time that remains to you until your death in calm, benevolence, and serenity.
perfect mind desire
It is in your power to withdraw yourself whenever you desire. Perfect tranquility within consists in the good ordering of the mind, the realm of your own.
confused confusion deeds
Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought.
running gratitude philosophical
Let not your mind run on what you lack as much as on what you have already.
done purpose should
Without a purpose, nothing should be done.
inspirational life philosophical
Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.
mistake stress thinking
When you are annoyed at someone's mistake, immediately look at yourself and reflect how you also fail; for example, in thinking that good equals money, or pleasure, or a bit of fame. By being mindful of this you'll quickly forget your anger, especially if you realize that the person was under stress, and could do little else. And, if you can, find a way to alleviate that stress.