Meditations. iv. 17.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
Quotes from book
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
Original title
Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτὸν
Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.
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.
VI, 29
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VI
VII, 56
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII
“The blazing fire makes flames and brightness out of everything thrown into it.”
Source: Meditations
“For nothing is so much adapted to produce magnanimity.”
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.
IV, 43
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV
VI, 39
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VI
Misattributed
Source: The first citation appears in a translation of Leo Tolstoy's Bethink Yourselves! http://www.nonresistance.org/docs_htm/Tolstoy/~Bethink_Yourselves/BY_chapter08.html by NONRESISTANCE.ORG. The claim made that it is from Marcus Aurelius. Nothing closely resembling it appears in Meditations, nor does it appear in a 1904 translation of Bethink Yourselves http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/bethink-yourselves/8/. The 1904 translation may be abridged, whereas the NONRESISTANCE.ORG translation claims to be unabridged.
VII, 69
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII
“Depart then satisfied, for he also who releases thee is satisfied.”
XII, 36
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book XII
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
VII, 59
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts; therefore guard accordingly.”
Variant: The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
Source: Meditations
