Marcus Aurelius Quotes

619 quotes in 4760 categories

• Every soul, the philosopher says, is involuntarily deprived of truth; consequently in the same way it is deprived of justice and temperance and benevolence and…
• Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered: and all this in a nook of this part of the world;…
• Look to the essence of a thing, whether it be a point of doctrine, of practice, or of interpretation.
• 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 is not fit that I should give myself pain, for I have never intentionally given pain even to another.
• 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…
• Do what nature now requires. Set thyself in motion, if it is in thy power, and do not look about thee to see if any…
• The whole contains nothing which is not or its advantage; and all natures indeed have this common principle, but the nature of the universe has…
• 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…
• All those things at which thou wishest to arrive by a circuitous road, thou canst have now, if thou dost not refuse them to thyself.
• If mind is common to us, then also the reason, whereby we are reasoning beings, is common.' If this be so, then also the reason…
• Reverence the gods, and help men. Short is life.
• Think not so much of what thou hast not as of what thou hast: but of the things which thou hast, select the best, and…
• If thou canst see sharp, look and judge wisely, says the philosopher.
• He who fears death either fears to lose all sensation or fears new sensations. In reality, you will either feel nothing at all, and therefore…
• The nature of the universe is the nature of things that are. Now, things that are have kinship with things that are from the beginning.…
• 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…
• The earth loveth the shower," and "the holy æther knoweth what love is." The Universe, too, loves to create whatsoever is destined to be made.
• A little time, and thou shalt close thy eyes; and him who has attended thee to thy grave, another soon will lament.
• Socrates used to call the opinions of the many by the name of Lamiae, bugbears to frighten children.

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