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
words-of-wisdom connections all-things
Frequently consider the connection of all things in the universe.
men light rising
At day's first light have in readiness, against disinclination to leave your bed, the thought that "I am rising for the work of man."
life fall journey
Spend your brief moment according to nature's law, and serenely greet the journey's end as an olive falls when it is ripe, blessing the branch that bare it, and giving thanks to the tree that gave it life.
life deeds firsts
Just as the sand-dunes, heaped one upon another, hide each the first, so in life the former deeds are quickly hidden by those that follow after.
life sage occupation
Let thine occupations be few, saith the sage, if thou wouldst lead a tranquil life.
years may common
You exist but as a part inherent in a greater whole. Do not live as though you had a thousand years before you. The common due impends; while you live, and while you may, be good.
wish poverty poor
Cinna wishes to seem poor, and is poor
grief men joy
To no man make yourself a boon companion: Your joy will be less but less will be your grief
men talking good-man
Stop talking about what the good man is like, and just be one.
fate play fleeting
Remember: Matter: how tiny your share of it. Time: how brief and fleeting your allotment of it. Fate: how small a role you play in it.
art philosophy history
Nature in no case cometh short of art, for the arts are copiers of natural forms.
atheism looks purpose
From Apollonius I learned freedom of will and undeviating steadiness of purpose; and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to reason.
heart men giving
Give your heart to the trade you have learnt, and draw refreshment from it. Let the rest of your days be spent as one who has whole-heartedly committed his all to the gods and is thenceforth no man's master or slave.
together world holy
Everything is interwoven, and the web is holy; none of its parts are unconnected. They are composed harmoniously, and together - they compose the world.