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Marcus Aurelius Quotes

Roman emperor

Marcus Aurelius, born in 121 AD and died in 180 AD, was an emperor of the Roman Empire. He is one of the Five Good Emperors and is known for his philosophical thoughts and the stability of his reign. He was not only an outstanding politician but also a famous Stoic philosopher, whose work 'Meditations' has had a profound impact on later generations.

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Famous Marcus Aurelius Quotes

“A man should remove not only unnecessary acts, but also unnecessary thoughts, for then superfluous activity will not follow.”

Men Should Activity Remove Concentration Unnecessary Superfluous

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“If any man can convince me and bring home to me that I do not think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who abideth on still in his deception and ignorance.”

Ifs Thinking Men Stills Home Age Dark Ignorance Medical Deception Convince Dark Ages

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“Let thy chief fort and place of defense be a mind free from passions. A stronger place and better fortified than this, hath no man.”

Men Mind Passion Stronger Defense Chiefs Forts Mind Free

Book:Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Source: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

“In the morning, when you are sluggish about getting up, let this thought be present: 'I am rising to a man's work.'”

Men Work Morning Rising Sluggish

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“Be not disgusted, nor discouraged, nor dissatisfied, if thou dost not succeed in doing everything according to right principles; but when thou bast failed, return back again, and be content if the greater part of what thou doest is consistent with man's nature, and love this to which thou returnest”

Ifs Men Love Age Principles Greater Return Succeed And Love Consistent Discouraged Back Again Dissatisfied Disgusted Love And Nature Return Back

Book:Meditations

Source: Meditations

“A spider is proud when it has caught a fly; one man when he has caught a poor hare, and another when he has taken a little fish in a net, and another when he has taken wild boars, and another when he has taken bears, and another when he has taken Sarmatians. Are not these robbers, if you examine their opinions?”

Men Littles Poor Taken Bears Proud Caught Fishes One Man Hunting Robbers Hares Boars

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“A man makes no noise over a good deed, but passes on to another as a vine to bear grapes again in season.”

Men Bears Seasons Deeds Noise Good Deeds Grapes Vines

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“The lot assigned to every man is suited to him, and suits him to itself.”

Men Every Man Suits

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“Understand however that every man is worth just so much as the things are worth about which he busies himself.”

Men Every Man

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

Source: Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Golden Sayings Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion

“Thou seest how few be the things, the which if a man has at his command his life flows gently on and is divine.”

Ifs Men Divine Flow Command

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“Though thou be destined to live three thousand years and as many myriads besides, yet remember that no man loseth other life than that which he liveth, nor liveth other than that which he loseth.”

Men Years Remember Three Thousand Thousand Years Destined

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“Nothing befalls any man which he is not fitted to endure.”

Men Endure Endurance

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“A man's happiness,-to do the things proper to man.”

Men Happiness

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“Remember that the sole life which a man can lose is that which he is living at the moment.”

Men Moments Remember Loses Sole

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“A man does not sin by commission only, but often by omission.”

Men Doe Religion Sin Omission

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed.”

Men Truth

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“Suppose that men kill thee, cut thee in pieces, curse thee, what can these things do to prevent thy mind from remaining pure, wise, sober, just?”

Men Mind Pieces Wise Cutting Violence Pure Thee Curse Sober

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

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

“Let it judge that nothing is either bad or good which can happen equally to the bad man and the good. For that which happens equally to him who lives contrary to nature and to him who lives according to nature, is neither according to nature nor contrary to nature.”

Men Happens Judging Goodness Contrary Bad Man

Book:Meditations

Source: Meditations

“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.”

Men Years Firsts Looks Two Past Remember Form Time Dies Loses Hundred Rounds Look Up Cycles Infinity Everlasting

Author:Marcus Aurelius