Marcus Aurelius Quotes

"But that which is useful is the better. III, 6"

"At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: 'I have to go to work—as a human being.'"

"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."

"Whatever happens at all happens as it should; you will find this true, if you watch narrowly. IV, 10"

"When thou art offended at any man's fault, forthwith turn to thyself and reflect in what manner thou doest error thyself... For by attending to this thou wilt quickly forget thy anger, if this consideration is also added, that the man is compelled; for what else could he do? or, if thou art able, take away from him the compulsion. X, 30"

"What is divine is full of Providence. Even chance is not divorced from nature, from the inweaving and enfolding of things governed by Providence. Everything proceeds from it. (Hays translation) All that is from the gods is full of Providence."

"Death, like generation, is a secret of Nature. IV, 5"

"Do not let the panorama of your life oppress you, do not dwell on all the various troubles which may have occurred in the past or may occur in the future. Just ask yourself in every instance of the present: 'What is there in this work which I cannot endure or support?'"

"Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging."

"For a man can lose neither the past nor the future; for how can one take from him that which is not his? So remember these two points: first, that each thing is of like form from everlasting and comes round again in its cycle, and that it signifies not whether a man shall look upon the same things for a hundred years or two hundred, or for an infinity of time; second, that the longest lived and the shortest lived man, when they come to die, lose one and the same thing. II, 14"

"Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside. (Hays translation) IX, 13"

"All that is harmony for you, my Universe, is in harmony with me as well. Nothing that comes at the right time for you is too early or too late for me. Everything is fruit to me that your seasons bring, Nature. All things come of you, have their being in you, and return to you. Πᾶν μοι συναρμόζει ὃ σοὶ εὐάρμοστόν ἐστιν, ὦ κόσμε· οὐδέν μοι πρόωρον οὐδὲ ὄψιμον ὃ σοὶ εὔκαιρον. πᾶν μοι καρπὸς ὃ φέρουσιν αἱ σαὶ ὧραι, ὦ φύσις· ἐκ σοῦ πάντα, ἐν σοὶ πάντα, εἰς σὲ πάντα. ἐκεῖνος μέν φησιν·"

"I do what is mine to do; the rest doesn't disturb me. (Hays translation) VI, 22"

"The abyss of endless time that swallows it all. The emptiness of all those applauding hands. The people who praise us—how capricious they are, how arbitrary. And the tiny region in which it all takes place. (Hays translation) IV, 4"

"Does anything genuinely beautiful need supplementing? No more than justice does—or truth, or kindness, or humility. Are any of those improved by being praised? Or damaged by contempt? Is an emerald suddenly flawed if no one admires it? Or gold, or ivory, or purple? Lyres? Knives? Flowers? Bushes? (Hays translation) IV, 20"

"All those [events in history] were such dramas as we see now, only with different actors. X, 27"

"Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion... I have learned both shamefastness and manlike behaviour. Of my mother I have learned to be religious, and bountiful; and to forbear, not only to do, but to intend any evil; to content myself with a spare diet, and to fly all such excess as is incidental to great wealth. I, 1"

"Of things that are external, happen what will to that which can suffer by external accidents. Those things that suffer let them complain themselves, if they will; as for me, as long as I conceive no such thing, that that which is happened is evil, I have no hurt; and it is in my power not to conceive any such thing."

"A little flesh, a little breath, and a Reason to rule all – that is myself. II. 2, trans. Maxwell Staniforth"

"Dig within. Within is the well of good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig."

"Blot out vain pomp; check impulse; quench appetite; keep reason under its own control. IX, 7"

"I have often wondered how it should come to pass, that every man loving himself best, should more regard other men's opinions concerning himself than his own. XII, 3"

"Direct thy attention to what is said. Let thy understanding enter into the things that are doing and the things which do them. VII, 30"

"Disturbance comes only from within—from our own perceptions. (Hays translation) IV, 4"

"As for life, it is a battle and a sojourning in a strange land; but the fame that comes after is oblivion. II, 17"

"On the occasion of every act ask thyself, How is this with respect to me? Shall I repent of it? A little time and I am dead, and all is gone. VIII, 2"

"That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bee."

"It is in your power to withdraw yourself whenever you desire."

"An arrow has one motion and the mind another. Even when pausing, even when weighing conclusions, the mind is moving forward, toward its goal. (Hays translation) VIII, 60"

"Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. (Hays translation) III, 10"

"What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee. VI, 54"

"Keep a good heart. That also is a part of nature."

"...be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. Remember, nothing belongs to you but your flesh and blood—and nothing else is under your control. (Hays translation) V, 33"