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Quote by Marcus Aurelius

“Pray look upon the plants and birds, the ants, spiders, and bees, and you will see them all exerting their nature, and busy in their station. Pray, shall not a man act like a man?”

Quote by Marcus Aurelius

Book:The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Work

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

The Meditations is a series of philosophical reflections written by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD. The text is a compilation of his personal thoughts and musings, reflecting his Stoic beliefs and his approach to governance and life. The work is considered a significant contribution to the Stoic tradition and offers a unique glimpse into the mind of one of history's most influential rulers. more

Author

Marcus Aurelius

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. more

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“Do you see what little is required of a man to live a well-tempered and god-fearing life? Obey these precepts, and the gods will ask nothing more.”

Men Wells Littles Asks Gods Will

Book:The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

Source: The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

“I will march on in the path of nature till my legs sink under me, and then I shall be at rest, and expire into that air which has given me my daily breath.”

Given Path Air Breaths Legs March

Book:The Meditations: Translated from the Greek

Source: The Meditations: Translated from the Greek

“I bless the gods for not letting my education in rhetoric, poetry, and other literary studies come easily to me, and thereby sparing me from an absorbing interest in these subjects.”

Interest Study Subjects Bless Rhetoric Absorbing

Book:The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

Source: The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

“Be mindful at all times of the following: the nature of the whole universe, the nature of the part that is me, the relation of the one to the other, the one so vast, the other so small.”

Whole Universe Relation Following All Time

Book:The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

Source: The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

“Even the stoics agree that certainty is very hard to come at; that our assent is worth little, for where is infallibility to be found?”

Littles Hard Found Agree Certainty Infallibility

Book:Meditations

Source: Meditations

“The gods have provided me with clear and compelling signs of what it means to live in conformity to nature. They did their part. So far as their gifts, aid, and inspiration are concerned, nothing prevented me from following the path prescribed by nature. If from time to time I have strayed from this path, the fault lies with me and with my failure to heed the gods' signs, or rather, their explicit instructions.”

Ifs Mean Inspiration Lying Path Clear Concerned Faults Following Aids Conformity Instruction Compelling Heed Explicit

Book:The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

Source: The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

“Outward objects cannot take hold of the soul, nor force their passage into her, nor set any of her wheels going. No, the impression comes from herself, and it is her own motions which affect her. As for the contingencies of fortune, they are either great or little, according to the opinion she has of her own strength.”

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Book:The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Source: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

“Time is a kind of river, an irresistible flood sweeping up men and events and carrying them headlong, one after the other, to the great sea of being.”

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Book:The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

Source: The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations

“The controlling Intelligence understands its own nature, and what it does, and whereon it works.”

Author:Marcus Aurelius

“My being consists of matter and form, that is, of soul and body; annihilation will reach neither of them, for they were never produced out of nothing. The consequence is, that every part of me will serve to make something in the world; and this again will change into another part through an infinite succession of change. This constant method of alteration gave me my being, and my father before me, and so on to eternity backward: for I think I may speak thus, even though the world be confined within certain determinate periods.”

Source: The Meditations: Translated from the Greek