Quotessence
Home / Authors / Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quotes

Roman emperor

Filter quotes by topic

AllMenIfsLifeMindSoulInspirationalThinkingPhilosophyUniversePhilosophicalDoeReasonAll ThingsShouldTheeRememberStoicismDeathLife IsThyself

Famous Marcus Aurelius Quotes

“When you find an unwillingness to rise early in the morning, make this short speech to yourself: I am getting up now to do the business of a man; and am I out of humour for going about that I was made for, and for the sake of which I was sent into the world? Was I then designed for nothing but to doze and keep warm beneath the counterpane? Well! but this is a comfortable way of living.”

MenWorldWayWellsMadeMorningHumourSpeechComfortableSakeWarm
Book:The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
Create image

“But if we judge only those things which are in our power to be good or bad, there remains no reason either for finding fault with God or standing in a hostile attitude to man.”

IfsMenReasonAttitudeJudgingFindingsStandingRemainsFaultsBe GoodNo ReasonHostile
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Golden Sayings Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“The things... which are proper to the understanding no other man is used to impede, for neither fire, nor iron, nor tyrant, nor abuse, touches it in any way. When it has been made a sphere, it continues a sphere.”

MenWayHas BeensMadeUsedUnderstandingFireAbuseIronTyrantsSpheres
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Golden Sayings Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“If man reflects on the changes and transformations which follow one another like wave after wave and their rapidity, he will despise everything which is perishable.”

IfsMenTransformationWaveDespise
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Golden Sayings, Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus, Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“He who flies from his master is a runaway; but the law is master, and he who breaks the law is a runaway. And he also who is grieved or angry or afraid, is dissatisfied because something has been or is or shall be of the things which are appointed by Him who rules all things, and He is Law, and assigns to every man what is fit. He then who fears or is grieved or is angry is a runaway.”

MenHas BeensLawBreakMastersFitAll ThingsAngryEvery ManDissatisfiedRunaway
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Golden Sayings Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“As thou thyself art a component part of a social system, so let every act of thine be a component part of social life. Whatever act of thine that has no reference, either immediately or remotely, to a social end, this tears asunder thy life, and does not allow it to be one, and it is of the nature of a mutiny, just as when in a popular assembly a man acting by himself stands apart from the general agreement.”

MenDoeArtEndsSocialActingTearsAgreementComponentsThyselfAssemblySocial LifeSocial SystemsMutiny
Book:沉思錄:讀了一百年還要再讀一百年的不朽鉅著
Create image

“Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul.”

MenDoeArtSoulCountryDesireHouseCommonTroubleSeaQuietMountainMarkShoreRetiringRetreatThyself
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Golden Sayings, Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus, Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“Where any work can be done conformably to the reason which is common to gods and men, there we have nothing to fear; for where we are able to get profit by means of the activity which is successful and proceeds according to our constitution, there no harm is to be suspected.”

MenMeanReasonDoneAbleCommonSuccessfulActivityConstitutionProfitHarm
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Golden Sayings, Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus, Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“The mind which is free from passions is a citadel, for man has nothing more secure to which he can fly for refuge and for the future be inexpugnable . He then who has not seen this is an ignorant man: but he who has seen it and does not fly to this refuge is unhappy.”

MenMindDoePassionUnhappyIgnorantSecureRefugeCitadels
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Golden Sayings, Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus, Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“Rememberest the gods, and that they wish not to be flattered, but wish all reasonable beings to be made like themselves; and... rememberest that what does the work of a fig-tree is a fig-tree, and that what does the work of a dog is a dog, and that what does the work of a bee is a bee, and that what does the work of a man is a man.”

MenDoeMadeWishTreeDogReasonableBeesFlatteredFigs
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Golden Sayings, Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus, Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“To her who gives and takes back all, to nature, the man who is instructed and modest says, Give what thou wilt; take back what thou wilt. And he says this not proudly, but obediently and well pleased with her.”

MenGivingWellsHe ManModestGive And Take
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Golden Sayings Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“Suppose that thou hast detached thyself from the natural unity... yet here there is this beautiful provision, that it is in thy power again to unite thyself. God has allowed this to no other part, after it has been separated and cut asunder, to come together again. ...he has distinguished man, for he has put it in his power not to be separated at all from the universal ...he has allowed him to be returned and to be united and to resume his place as a part.”

MenHas BeensTogetherBeautifulNaturalUnitedCuttingUniversalUnityThyselfDistinguishedProvisionDetachedResumesTogether Again
Author:Marcus Aurelius
Create image

“From Plato: the man who has an elevated mind and takes a view of all time and of all substance, dost thou suppose it possible for him to think that human life is anything great? It is not possible, he said. Such a man then will think that death also is no evil.”

ThinkingMenMindHumansSaidLife IsEvilViewsHe ManAll TimeSubstanceHuman LifePlato
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Golden Sayings Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“Always run to the short way; and the short way is the natural: accordingly say and do everything in conformity with the soundest reason. For such a purpose frees a man from trouble, and warfare, and all artifice and ostentatious display.”

MenWayReasonRunningPurposeNaturalTroubleAtheismConformityDisplayWarfareArtificeOstentatious
Book:Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Golden Sayings Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion
Create image

“Never value anything as profitable to thyself which shall compel thee to break thy promise, to lose thy self-respect, to hate any man, to suspect, to curse, to act the hypocrite, to desire anything which needs walls and curtains.”

MenNeedsSelfDesireValuesHateLosesBreakAtheismWallPromiseTheeCurseSelf RespectSuspectsCurtainsThyselfProfitableHypocrite
Book:沉思錄:讀了一百年還要再讀一百年的不朽鉅著
Create image

“Consider, for example, and you will find that almost all the transactions in the time of Vespasian differed little from those of the present day. You there find marrying and giving in marriage, educating children, sickness, death, war, joyous holidays, traffic, agriculture, flatterers, insolent pride, suspicions, laying of plots, longing for the death of others, newsmongers, lovers, misers, men canvassing far the consulship and for the kingdom; yet all these passed away, and are nowhere.”

MenGivingChildrenLittlesWarExamplePrideLoversLongingKingdomsSicknessHolidayPlotSuspicionAgricultureTrafficJoyousMarryingTransactionsPresent DayPassed AwayGiving InMisersFlattererInsolentEducating ChildrenCanvassing
Author:Marcus Aurelius
Create image