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
clue hesitate knowledge life
Knowledge the clue to life can give: Then wherefore hesitate to live
declares hooks invitation unless
Philo declares he never dines at home, and that is no exaggeration: He has no place whereat to dine in Rome, Unless he hooks an invitation
formed happens man nature
Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear.
half lend lose rather wishes
He who prefers to give to Linus the half of what he wishes to borrow, rather than to lend him the whole, prefers to lose only the half
disappoint farce height thus
The height of farce it is, I ween, To be so perfumed and anointed, And when one's appetite's most keen, To have it thus most disappoint
bear exist men sake teach
Men exist for the sake of one another. Teach them then or bear with them.
aside cucumber throw turn
A cucumber is bitter.' Throw it away. 'There are briars in the road.' Turn aside from them. This is enough. Do not add, 'And why were such things made in the world?
account full gratitude remember
Take full account of what excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.
life lives loses man nor remember
Remember that no man loses any other life than this which he now lives, nor lives any other than this which he now loses
astonished happens man ridiculous
How ridiculous and unrealistic is the man who is astonished at anything that happens in life.
blessing ephemeral falls human humankind journey nature observe olive pass produced space thy time tree worthless
Always observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are. Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew.
commission sin
There is often a sin of omission as well as of commission
great man small wish
You wish to appear, Cotta, a pretty man and a great man at one and the same time: but he who is a pretty man, Cotta, is a very small man
hair legs manliness mind shows signs
Your legs and breast bristle with shaggy hair but your mind, Pannicus, shows no signs of manliness