Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aureliuswas Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169. Marcus Aurelius was the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors. He was a practitioner of Stoicism, and his untitled writing, commonly known as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, is the most significant source of our modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth26 April 121
CityRome, Italy
Marcus Aurelius quotes about
life lying men
Every man's life lies within the present; for the past is spent and done with, and the future is uncertain.
focus essentials moments
Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you'll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, 'Is this necessary?'
live-life past serenity
If you separate from . . . everything you have done in the past, everything that disturbs you about the future . . . and apply yourself to living the life that you are living-that is to say, the present-you can live all the time that remains to you until your death in calm, benevolence, and serenity.
strange ridiculous surprise
How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life
strong time sight
Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.
soul mind desire
Body. Soul. Mind. Sensations: the body. Desires: the soul. Reasoning: the mind.
selfish people ungrateful
I'm going to be meeting with people today who talk too much - people who are selfish, egotistical, ungrateful. But I won't be surprised or disturbed, for I can't imagine a world without such people.
matter causes scene
Reflect frequently upon the instability of things, and how very fast the scenes of nature are shifted. Matter is in perpetual flux. Change is always and everywhere at work; it strikes through causes and effects, and leaves nothing fixed and permanent.
hands feet cooperation
We are born for cooperation, as are the feet, the hands, the eyelids, and the upper and lower jaws.
ignorance vanity principles
It is a disgrace to let ignorance and vanity do more with us than prudence and principle.
taken opinion harm
Take away your opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint, 'I have been harmed.' Take away the complaint, 'I have been harmed,' and the harm is taken away.
life beauty running
Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.
madness impossibility
To expect an impossibility is madness.
philosophical mindfulness
Confine yourself to the present.