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
advantage break esteem lose shall thee thy word
Never esteem anything as of advantage to thee that shall make thee break thy word or lose thy self-respect.
earth lightly rest thee
Rest lightly on her earth, for she trod never heavily on thee
befall thee whatever
Whatever may befall thee, it was preordained for thee from everlasting
thee present-time thyself
Consider thyself to be dead, and to have completed thy life up to the present time; and live according to nature the remainder which is allowed thee.
skills stealing thee
Everywhere and at all times it is in thy power piously to acquiesce in thy present condition, and to behave justly to those who are about thee, and to exert thy skill upon thy present thoughts, that nothing shall steal into them without being well examined.
decay transformation thee
All things are in the act of change; thou thyself in ceaseless transformation and partial decay, and the whole universe with thee.
thee pauses ifs
Severally on the occasion of everything that thou doest, pause and ask thyself, if death is a dreadful thing because it deprives thee of this.
thee release satisfied
Depart then satisfied, for he also who releases thee is satisfied.
eye littles thee
A little time, and thou shalt close thy eyes; and him who has attended thee to thy grave, another soon will lament.
too-late harmony thee
Everything harmonizes with me, which is harmonious to thee, o Universe. Nothing for me is too early or too late, which is in due time for thee.
may thee stills
Death hangs over thee, While thou still live, while thou may, do good.
exist free robber writes
The robber of your free will," writes Epictetus, "does not exist
compared embrace music sexual
The sexual embrace can only be compared with music and with prayer.
astonished fraud frequently friend good learn man regard
Are you astonished Aulus, that our friend Fabullinus is so frequently deceived? A good man has always something to learn in regard to fraud