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
act dignity life observed performance proper proportion remember
Remember this, - that there is a proper dignity and proportion to be observed in the performance of every act of life
act execute last life though thy
Execute every act of life as though it were thy last
morning men action
When you find an unwillingness to rise early in the morning, endeavor to rouse your faculties, and act up to your kind, and consider that you have to do the business of a man; and that action is both beneficial and the end of your being.
drama actors events-in-history
All those [events in history] were such dramas as we see now, only with different actors.
action life-yourself
You have to assemble your life yourself - action by action.
letting-go gone action
It is not the actions of others which trouble us (for those actions are controlled by their governing part), but rather it is our own judgments. Therefore remove those judgments and resolve to let go of your anger, and it will already be gone. How do you let go? By realizing that such actions are not shameful to you.
common action aim
Let every action aim solely at the common good.
becoming action sin
The sinner sins against himself; the wrongdoer wrongs himself, becoming the worse by his own action.
worst-enemy body actors
The body of an actor can be either his best friend or his worst enemy.
time action unnecessary
Most of what we say and do is unnecessary: remove the superfluity, and you will have more time and less bother. So in every case one should prompt oneself: 'Is this, or is it not, something necessary?' And the removal of the unnecessary should apply not only to actions but to thoughts also: then no redundant actions either will follow.
community action social
Since you are an integral part of a social system, let every act of yours contribute to the harmonization of social life. Any action that is not related directly or remotely to this social aim disturbs your life, and destroys your unity.
character men action
I was once a fortunate man but at some point fortune abandoned me. But true good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortune: good character, good intentions, and good actions.
way action stoicism
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
exist free robber writes
The robber of your free will," writes Epictetus, "does not exist