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

unintentionally, inasmuch as he is at variance with the universal nature,

and inasmuch as he disturbs the order by fighting against the nature of

the world; for he fights against it, who is moved of himself to that

which is contrary to truth, for he had received powers from nature

through the neglect of which he is not able now to distinguish falsehood

from truth. And indeed he who pursues pleasure as good, and avoids pain

as evil, is guilty of impiety. For of necessity such a man must often

find fault with the universal nature, alleging that it assigns things to

the bad and the good contrary to their deserts, because frequently the

bad are in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess the things which procure

pleasure, but the good have pain for their share and the things which

cause pain. And further, he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also be

afraid of some of the things which will happen in the world, and even

this is impiety. And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain from

injustice, and this is plainly impiety. Now with respect to the things

towards which the universal nature is equally affected,—for it would not

have made both, unless it was equally affected towards both,—towards

these they who wish to follow nature should be of the same mind with it,

and equally affected. With respect to pain, then, and pleasure, or death

and life, or honor and dishonor, which the universal nature employs

equally, whoever is not equally affected is manifestly acting impiously.

And I say that the universal nature employs them equally, instead of

saying that they happen alike to those who are produced in continuous

series and to those who come after them by virtue of a certain original

movement of Providence, according to which it moved from a certain

beginning to this ordering of things, having conceived certain principles

of the things which were to be, and having determined powers productive

of beings and of changes and of such like successions (VII. 75).

2. It would be a man’s happiest lot to depart from mankind without having

had any taste of lying and hypocrisy and luxury and pride. However, to

breathe out one’s life when a man has had enough of these things is the

next best voyage, as the saying is. Hast thou determined to abide with

vice, and has not experience yet induced thee to fly from this

pestilence? For the destruction of the understanding is a pestilence,

much more indeed than any such corruption and change of this atmosphere

which surrounds us. For this corruption is a pestilence of animals so far

as they are animals; but the other is a pestilence of men so far as they

are men.

3. Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is

one of those things which nature wills. For such as it is to be young and

to grow old, and to increase and to reach maturity, and to have teeth and

beard and gray hairs, and to beget and to be pregnant and to bring forth,

and all the other natural operations which the seasons of thy life bring,

such also is dissolution. This, then, is consistent with the character of

a reflecting man,—to be neither careless nor impatient nor contemptuous

with respect to death, but to wait for it as one of the operations of

nature. As thou now waitest for the time when the child shall come out of

thy wife’s womb, so be ready for the time when thy soul shall fall out of

this envelope. But if thou requirest also a vulgar kind of comfort which

shall reach thy heart, thou wilt be made best reconciled to death by

observing the objects from which thou art going to be removed, and the

morals of those with whom thy soul will no longer be mingled. For it is

no way right to be offended with men, but it is thy duty to care for them

and to bear with them gently; and yet to remember that thy departure will

not be from men who have the same principles as thyself. For this is the

only thing, if there be any, which could draw us the contrary way and

attach us to life,—to be permitted to live with those who have the same

principles as ourselves. But now thou seest how great is the trouble

arising from the discordance of those who live together, so that thou

mayest say, Come quick, O death, lest perchance I, too, should forget

myself.

4. He who does wrong does wrong against himself. He who acts unjustly

acts unjustly to himself, because he makes himself bad.

5. He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only he

who does a certain thing.

6. Thy present opinion founded on understanding, and thy present conduct

directed to social good, and thy present disposition of contentment with

everything which happens—that is enough.

7. Wipe out imagination: check desire: extinguish appetite: keep the

ruling faculty in its own power.

8. Among the animals which have not reason one life is distributed; but

among reasonable animals one intelligent soul is distributed: just as

there is one earth of all things which are of an earthy nature, and we

see by one light, and breathe one air, all of us that have the faculty of

vision and all that have life.

9. All things which participate in anything which is common to them all

move towards that which is of the same kind with themselves. Everything

which is earthy turns towards the earth, everything which is liquid flows

together, and everything which is of an aerial kind does the same, so

that they require something to keep them asunder, and the application of

force. Fire indeed moves upwards on account of the elemental fire, but it

is so ready to be kindled together with all the fire which is here, that

even every substance which is somewhat dry is easily ignited, because

there is less mingled with it of that which is a hindrance to ignition.

Accordingly, then, everything also which participates in the common

intelligent nature moves in like manner towards that which is of the same

kind with itself, or moves even more. For so much as it is superior in

comparison with all other things, in the same degree also is it more

ready to mingle with and to be fused with that which is akin to it.

Accordingly among animals devoid of reason we find swarms of bees, and

herds of cattle, and the nurture of young birds, and in a manner, loves;

for even in animals there are souls, and that power which brings them

together is seen to exert itself in the superior degree, and in such a

way as never has been observed in plants nor in stones nor in trees. But

in rational animals there are political communities and friendships, and

families and meetings of people; and in wars, treaties, and armistices.

But in the things which are still superior, even though they are

separated from one another, unity in a manner exists, as in the stars.

Thus the ascent to the higher degree is able to produce a sympathy even

in things which are separated. See, then, what now takes place; for only

intelligent animals have now forgotten this mutual desire and

inclination, and in them alone the property of flowing together is not

seen. But still, though men strive to avoid [this union], they are caught

and held by it, for their nature is too strong for them; and thou wilt

see what I say, if thou only observest. Sooner, then, will one find

anything earthy which comes in contact with no earthy thing, than a man

altogether separated from other men.

10. Both man and God and the universe produce fruit; at the proper

seasons each produces it. But and if usage has especially fixed these

terms to the vine and like things, this is nothing. Reason produces fruit

both for all and for itself, and there are produced from it other things

of the same kind as reason itself.

11. If thou art able, correct by teaching those who do wrong; but if thou

canst not, remember that indulgence is given to thee for this purpose.

And the gods, too, are indulgent to such persons; and for some purposes

they even help them to get health, wealth, reputation; so kind they are.

And it is in thy power also; or say, who hinders thee?

12. Labor not as one who is wretched, nor yet as one who would be pitied

or admired: but direct thy will to one thing only,—to put thyself in

motion and to check thyself, as the social reason requires.

13. To-day I have got out of all trouble, or rather I have cast out all

trouble, for it was not outside, but within and in my opinions.

14. All things are the same, familiar in experience, and ephemeral in

time, and worthless in the matter. Everything now is just as it was in

the time of those whom we have buried.

15. Things stand outside of us, themselves by themselves, neither knowing

aught of themselves, nor expressing any judgment. What is it, then, which

does judge about them? The ruling faculty.

16. Not in passivity but in activity lie the evil and the good of the

rational social animal, just as his virtue and his vice lie not in

passivity but in activity.

17. For the stone which has been thrown up it is no evil to come down,

nor indeed any good to have been carried up (VIII. 20).

18. Penetrate inwards into men’s leading principles, and thou wilt see

what judges thou art afraid of, and what kind of judges they are of

themselves.

19. All things are changing: and thou thyself art in continuous mutation

and in a manner in continuous destruction, and the whole universe too.

20. It is thy duty to leave another man’s wrongful act there where it is

(VII. 29; IX. 38).

21. Termination of activity, cessation from movement and opinion, and in

a sense their death, is no evil. Turn thy thoughts now to the

consideration of thy life, thy life as a child, as a youth, thy manhood,

thy old age, for in these also every change was a death. Is this anything

to fear? Turn thy thoughts now to thy life under thy grandfather, then to

thy life under thy mother, then to thy life under thy father; and as thou

findest many other differences and changes and terminations, ask thyself,

Is this anything to fear? In like manner, then, neither are the

termination and cessation and change of thy whole life a thing to be

afraid of.

22. Hasten [to examine] thy own ruling faculty and that of the universe

and that of thy neighbor: thy own that thou mayst make it just; and that

of the universe, that thou mayst remember of what thou art a part; and

that of thy neighbor, that thou mayst know whether he has acted

ignorantly or with knowledge, and that thou mayst also consider that his

ruling faculty is akin to thine.

23. As thou thyself art a component part of a social system, so let every

act of thine be a component part of social life. Whatever act of thine

then has no reference either immediately or remotely to a social end,

this tears asunder thy life, and does not allow it to be one, and it is

of the nature of a mutiny, just as when in a popular assembly a man

acting by himself stands apart from the general agreement.

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