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
common harm badness
If this is neither my own badness, nor an effect of my own badness, and the common weal is not injured, why am I troubled about it? And what is the harm to the common weal?
men done harm
If any man has done wrong, the harm is his own. But perhaps he has not done wrong.
men he-man harm
That which makes the man no worse than he was makes his life no worse: it has no power to harm, without or within.
taken complaining harm
Take away the complaint, 'I have been harmed,' and the harm is taken away.
too-late harmony thee
Everything harmonizes with me, which is harmonious to thee, o Universe. Nothing for me is too early or too late, which is in due time for thee.
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.
adversity helping harmony
When jarred, unavoidably, by circumstance revert at once to yourself and don't lose the rhythm more than you can help. You'll have a better grasp of harmony if you keep going back to it.
drinks mistake morning next till
It is a mistake to think that Acerra reeks of yesterday's liquor: Acerra always drinks till next morning
earth lightly rest thee
Rest lightly on her earth, for she trod never heavily on thee
act dignity life observed performance proper proportion remember
Remember this, - that there is a proper dignity and proportion to be observed in the performance of every act of life
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
challenged magnitude
I think if we had the same magnitude of devastation that they had, we would be very much challenged as well,
likes needs none pity
I think he needs our pity who likes none
false itself man vice vicious
It is false to say that you are a vicious man, Zoilus; you are not a vicious man, you are vice itself