Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (good books to read .txt) 📕

part of the universe, and so on forever. And by consequence of such a

change I too exist, and those who begot me, and so on forever in the

other direction. For nothing hinders us from saying so, even if the

universe is administered according to definite periods [of revolution].

14. Reason and the reasoning art [philosophy] are powers which are

sufficient for themselves and for their own works. They move then from a

first principle which is their own, and they make their way to the end

which is proposed to them; and this is the reason why such acts are named

Catorthoseis or right acts, which word signifies that they proceed by the

right road.

15. None of these things ought to be called a man’s which do not belong

to a man, as man. They are not required of a man, nor does man’s nature

promise them, nor are they the means of man’s nature attaining its end.

Neither then does the end of man lie in these things, nor yet that which

aids to the accomplishment of this end, and that which aids towards this

end is that which is good. Besides, if any of these things did belong to

man, it would not be right for a man to despise them and to set himself

against them; nor would a man be worthy of praise who showed that he did

not want these things, nor would he who stinted himself in any of them be

good, if indeed these things were good. But now the more of these things

a man deprives himself of, or of other things like them, or even when he

is deprived of any of them, the more patiently he endures the loss, just

in the same degree he is a better man.

16. Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of

thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it then with a

continuous series of such thoughts as these: for instance, that where a

man can live, there he can also live well. But he must live in a palace;

well then, he can also live well in a palace. And again, consider that

for whatever purpose each thing has been constituted, for this it has

been constituted, and towards this it is carried; and its end is in that

towards which it is carried; and where the end is, there also is the

advantage and the good of each thing. Now the good for the reasonable

animal is society; for that we are made for society has been shown above.

Is it not plain that the inferior exists for the sake of the superior?

But the things which have life are superior to those which have not life,

and of those which have life the superior are those which have reason.

17. To seek what is impossible is madness: and it is impossible that the

bad should not do something of this kind.

18. Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear.

The same things happen to another, and either because he does not see

that they have happened, or because he would show a great spirit, he is

firm and remains unharmed. It is a shame then that ignorance and conceit

should be stronger than wisdom.

19. Things themselves touch not the soul, not in the least degree; nor

have they admission to the soul, nor can they turn or move the soul: but

the soul turns and moves itself alone, and whatever judgments it may

think proper to make, such it makes for itself the things which present

themselves to it.

20. In one respect man is the nearest thing to me, so far as I must do

good to men and endure them. But so far as some men make themselves

obstacles to my proper acts, man becomes to me one of the things which

are indifferent, no less than the sun or wind or a wild beast. Now it is

true that these may impede my action, but they are no impediments to my

effects and disposition, which have the power of acting conditionally and

changing: for the mind converts and changes every hindrance to its

activity into an aid; and so that which is a hindrance is made a

furtherance to an act; and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us

on this road.

21. Reverence that which is best in the universe; and this is that which

makes use of all things and directs all things. And in like manner also

reverence that which is best in thyself; and this is of the same kind as

that. For in thyself also, that which makes use of everything else is

this, and thy life is directed by this.

22. That which does no harm to the state, does no harm to the citizen. In

the case of every appearance of harm apply this rule: if the state is not

harmed by this, neither am I harmed. But if the state is harmed, thou

must not be angry with him who does harm to the state. Show him where his

error is.

23. Often think of the rapidity with which things pass by and disappear,

both the things which are and the things which are produced. For

substance is like a river in a continual flow, and the activities of

things are in constant change, and the causes work in infinite varieties;

and there is hardly anything which stands still. And consider this which

is near to thee, this boundless abyss of the past and of the future in

which all things disappear. How then is he not a fool who is puffed up

with such things or plagued about them and makes himself miserable? for

they vex him only for a time, and a short time.

24. Think of the universal substance, of which thou hast a very small

portion; and of universal time, of which a short and indivisible interval

has been assigned to thee; and of that which is fixed by destiny, and how

small a part of it thou art.

25. Does another do me wrong? Let him look to it. He has his own

disposition, his own activity. I now have what the universal nature wills

me to have; and I do what my nature now wills me to do.

26. Let the part of thy soul which leads and governs be undisturbed by

the movements in the flesh, whether of pleasure or of pain; and let it

not unite with them, but let it circumscribe itself and limit those

affects to their parts. But when these affects rise up to the mind by

virtue of that other sympathy that naturally exists in a body which is

all one, then thou must not strive to resist the sensation, for it is

natural: but let not the ruling part of itself add to the sensation the

opinion that it is either good or bad.

27. Live with the gods. And he does live with the gods who constantly

shows to them that his own soul is satisfied with that which is assigned

to him, and that it does all that the daemon wishes, which Zeus hath

given to every man for his guardian and guide, a portion of himself. And

this is every man’s understanding and reason.

28. Art thou angry with him whose armpits stink? art thou angry with him

whose mouth smells foul? What good will this anger do thee? He has such a

mouth, he has such armpits: it is necessary that such an emanation must

come from such things; but the man has reason, it will be said, and he is

able, if he takes pains, to discover wherein he offends; I wish thee well

of thy discovery. Well then, and thou hast reason: by thy rational

faculty stir up his rational faculty; show him his error, admonish him.

For if he listens, thou wilt cure him, and there is no need of anger.

29. As thou intendest to live when thou art gone out, … so it is in thy

power to live here. But if men do not permit thee, then get away out of

life, yet so as if them wert suffering no harm. The house is smoky, and I

quit it. Why dost thou think that this is any trouble? But so long as

nothing of the kind drives me out, I remain, am free, and no man shall

hinder me from doing what I choose; and I choose to do what is according

to the nature of the rational and social animal.

30. The intelligence of the universe is social. Accordingly it has made

the inferior things for the sake of the superior, and it has fitted the

superior to one another. Thou seest how it has subordinated, co-ordinated,

and assigned to everything its proper portion, and has brought

together into concord with one another the things which are the best.

31. How hast thou behaved hitherto to the gods, thy parents, brethren,

children, teachers, to those who looked after thy infancy, to thy

friends, kinsfolk, to thy slaves? Consider if thou hast hitherto behaved

to all in such a way that this may be said of thee,—

“Never has wronged a man in deed or word.”

And call to recollection both how many things thou hast passed through,

and how many things thou hast been able to endure and that the history of

thy life is now complete and thy service is ended; and how many beautiful

things thou hast seen; and how many pleasures and pains thou hast

despised; and how many things called honorable thou hast spurned; and to

how many ill-minded folks thou hast shown a kind disposition.

32. Why do unskilled and ignorant souls disturb him who has skill and

knowledge? What soul then has skill and knowledge? That which knows

beginning and end, and knows the reason which pervades all substance, and

through all time by fixed periods [revolutions] administers the universe.

33. Soon, very soon, thou wilt be ashes, or a skeleton, and either a name

or not even a name; but name is sound and echo. And the things which are

much valued in life are empty and rotten and trifling, and [like] little

dogs biting one another, and little children quarrelling, laughing, and

then straightway weeping. But fidelity and modesty and justice and truth

are fled

Up to Olympus from the wide-spread earth.

HESIOD, Works, etc. V. 197.

What then is there which still detains thee here, if the objects of sense

are easily changed and never stand still, and the organs of perception

are dull and easily receive false impressions, and the poor soul itself

is an exhalation from blood? But to have good repute amid such a world as

this is an empty thing. Why then dost thou not wait in tranquillity for

thy end, whether it is extinction or removal to another state? And until

that time comes, what is sufficient? Why, what else than to venerate the

gods and bless them, and to do good to men, and to practice tolerance and

self-restraint; but as to everything which is beyond the limits of the

poor flesh and breath, to remember that this is neither thine nor in thy

power.

34. Thou canst pass thy life in an equable flow of happiness, if thou

canst go by the right way, and think and act in the right way. These two

things are common both to the soul of God and to the soul of man, and to

the soul of every rational being: not to be hindered by another;