Marcus Aurelius Quotes

400 Quotes on Life, Mortality, and the Importance of Living in the Present Moment

Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

Source: Meditations

VI, 6
Variant: The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VI

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Variant: The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
Source: Meditations

VII, 56
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

VI, 29
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VI

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Source: VII, 8 (Penguin Classics edition of Meditations, translated by Maxwell Staniforth)

IV, 15
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV

VII, 59
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

Meditations. iv. 17.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Hays translation
Suppose that men kill thee, cut thee in pieces, curse thee. What then can these things do to prevent thy mind from remaining pure, wise, sober, just? For instance, if a man should stand by a limpid pure spring, and curse it, the spring never ceases sending up potable water; and if he should cast clay into it or filth, it will speedily disperse them and wash them out, and will not be at all polluted. How then shalt thou possess a perpetual fountain? By forming thyself hourly to freedom conjoined with contentment, simplicity and modesty.
VIII, 51
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VIII

Source: Meditations (Hovory k sobě)

Misattributed
Source: Cited as being from The Meditations. This quote does not exist there; although there are several other statements about everything being an opinion, none of these are connected to a sentence about perspectives.

Μηκέθ᾽ ὅλως περὶ τοῦ οἷόν τινα εἶναι τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα διαλέγεσθαι, ἀλλὰ εἶναι τοιοῦτον.
X, 16
Variant: Don't go on discussing what a good person should be. Just be one.
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book X

X, 35
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book X
Context: The healthy eye ought to see all visible things and not to say, I wish for green things; for this is the condition of the diseased eye. And the healthy hearing and smelling ought to be ready to perceive all that can be heard and smelled. And the healthy stomach ought to be with respect to all food just as the mill with respect to all things which it is formed to grind. And accordingly the healthy understanding ought to be prepared for everything which happens; but that which says, Let my dear children live, and let all men praise whatever I may do, is an eye which seeks for green things, or teeth which seek for soft things.

X, 11
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book X
Context: Acquire the contemplative way of seeing how all things change into one another, and constantly attend to it, and exercise thyself about this part [of philosophy]. For nothing is so much adapted to produce magnanimity.... But as to what any man shall say or think about him, or do against him, he never even thinks of it, being himself contented with these two things: with acting justly in what he now does, and being satisfied with what is now assigned to him; and he lays aside all distracting and busy pursuits, and desires nothing else than to accomplish the straight course through the law, and by accomplishing the straight course to follow God.

Source: Meditations

VII, 69
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

VI, 39
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VI

IV, 43
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV

VII, 47
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII

IV, 40
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV

XII, 36
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book XII

Source: Meditations (Hovory k sobě)

Variant: When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

XII, 17
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book XII
Context: If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it. For let thy efforts be

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

X, 31
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book X
Context: What matter and opportunity [for thy activity] art thou avoiding? For what else are all these things, except exercises for the reason, when it has viewed carefully and by examination into their nature the things which happen in life? Persevere then until thou shalt have made these things thy own, as the stomach which is strengthened makes all things its own, as the blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.

VIII, 27
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VIII
Context: There are three relations [between thee and other things]: the one to the body which surrounds thee; the second to the divine cause from which all things come to all; and the third to those who live with thee.

Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV, 10

X, 12
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book X
Context: What need is there of suspicious fear, since it is in thy power to inquire what ought to be done? And if thy seest clear, go by this way content, without turning back: but if thy dost not see clear, stop and take the best advisers. But if any other things oppose thee, go on according to thy powers with due consideration, keeping to that which appears to be just. For it is best to reach this object, and if thou dost fail, let thy failure be in attempting this. He who follows reason in all things is both tranquil and active at the same time, and also cheerful and collected.

Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IX, 40

IV, 4 (as translated by ASL Farquharson)
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV
Context: 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 which enjoins what is to be done or left undone is common. If this be so, law also is common; if this be so, we are citizens; if this be so, we are partakers in one constitution; if this be so, the Universe is a kind of Commonwealth.

VIII, 21
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VIII
Context: 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; and not even here do all agree, no, not any one with himself: and the whole earth too is a point.

X, 31
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book X
Context: What matter and opportunity [for thy activity] art thou avoiding? For what else are all these things, except exercises for the reason, when it has viewed carefully and by examination into their nature the things which happen in life? Persevere then until thou shalt have made these things thy own, as the stomach which is strengthened makes all things its own, as the blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.

III, 10
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book III
Context: Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant; all the rest of his life is either past and gone, or not yet revealed. Short, therefore, is man's life, and narrow is the corner of the earth wherein he dwells.

VIII, 36
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VIII
Context: Remember that neither the future nor the past pains thee, but only the present. But this is reduced to a very little, if thou only circumscribest it, and chidest thy mind, if it is unable to hold out against even this.

The universe is flux, life is opinion.
The universe is transformation: life is opinion. (Long translation)
ὁ κόσμος ἀλλοίωσις, ὁ βίος ὑπόληψις.
IV, 3
Variant: Our life is what our thoughts make it.
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV

Source: Meditations

Source: Meditations

Source: The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Source: Meditations

VI, 54
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VI

VI, 19
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VI

IV, 31
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV

Hays translation
V, 19
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book V

Source: Meditations (Promluvy k sobě)

Source: Meditations