Thoughts Of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (best self help books to read .txt) 📕

Usual And Natural,  Why Shouldst Thou Complain? For The Common Nature

Brings Nothing Which May Not Be Borne By Thee.

47. If Thou Art Pained By Any External Thing,  It Is Not This Thing That

Disturbs Thee,  But Thy Own Judgment About It. And It Is In Thy Power To

Wipe Out This Judgment Now. But If Anything In Thy Own Disposition Gives

Thee Pain,  Who Hinders Thee From Correcting Thy Opinion? And Even If

Thou Art Pained Because Thou Art Not Doing Some Particular Thing Which

Seems To Thee To Be Right,  Why Dost Thou Not Rather Act Than

Complain?--But Some Insuperable Obstacle Is In The Way?--Do Not Be

Grieved Then,  For The Cause Of Its Not Being Done Depends Not On

Thee.--But It Is Not Worth While To Live,  If This Cannot Be Done.--Take

Thy Departure Then From Life Contentedly,  Just As He Dies Who Is In Full

Activity,  And Well Pleased Too With The Things Which Are Obstacles.

48. Remember That The Ruling Faculty Is Invincible,  When Self-Collected

It Is Satisfied With Itself,  If It Does Nothing Which It Does Not Choose

To Do,  Even If It Resist From Mere Obstinacy. What Then Will It Be When

It Forms A Judgment About Anything Aided By Reason And Deliberately?

Therefore The Mind Which Is Free From Passions Is A Citadel,  For Man Has

Nothing More Secure To Which He Can Fly For Refuge And For The Future Be

Inexpugnable. He Then Who Has Not Seen This Is An Ignorant Man; But He

Who Has Seen It And Does Not Fly To This Refuge Is Unhappy.

49. Say Nothing More To Thyself Than What The First Appearances Report.

Suppose That It Has Been Reported To Thee That A Certain Person Speaks

Ill Of Thee. This Has Been Reported; But That Thou Hast Been Injured,

That Has Not Been Reported. I See That My Child Is Sick. I Do See; But

That He Is In Danger,  I Do Not See. Thus Then Always Abide By The First

Appearances,  And Add Nothing Thyself From Within,  And Then Nothing

Happens To Thee. Or Rather Add Something Like A Man Who Knows Everything

That Happens In The World.

50. A Cucumber Is Bitter--Throw It Away.--There Are Briers In The

Road--Turn Aside From Them.--This Is Enough. Do Not Add,  And Why Were

Such Things Made In The World? For Thou Wilt Be Ridiculed By A Man Who

Is Acquainted With Nature,  As Thou Wouldst Be Ridiculed By A Carpenter

And Shoemaker If Thou Didst Find Fault Because Thou Seest In Their

Workshop Shavings And Cuttings From The Things Which They Make. And Yet

They Have Places Into Which They Can Throw These Shavings And Cuttings,

And The Universal Nature Has No External Space; But The Wondrous Part Of

Her Art Is That Though She Has Circumscribed Herself,  Everything Within

Her Which Appears To Decay And To Grow Old And To Be Useless She Changes

Into Herself,  And Again Makes Other New Things From These Very Same,  So

That She Requires Neither Substance From Without Nor Wants A Place Into

Which She May Cast That Which Decays. She Is Content Then With Her Own

Space,  And Her Own Matter,  And Her Own Art.

51. Neither In Thy Actions Be Sluggish Nor In Thy Conversation Without

Method,  Nor Wandering In Thy Thoughts,  Nor Let There Be In Thy Soul

Inward Contention Nor External Effusion,  Nor In Life Be So Busy As To

Have No Leisure.

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 [And Not A Mere Well]? By Forming +

Thyself Hourly To Freedom Conjoined With Contentment,  Simplicity,  And

Modesty.

52. He Who Does Not Know What The World Is,  Does Not Know Where He Is.

And He Who Does Not Know For What Purpose The World Exists,  Does Not

Know Who He Is,  Nor What The World Is. But He Who Has Failed In Any One

Of These Things Could Not Even Say For What Purpose He Exists Himself.

What Then Dost Thou Think Of Him Who [Avoids Or] Seeks The Praise Of

Those Who Applaud,  Of Men Who Know Not Either Where They Are Or Who They

Are?

53. Dost Thou Wish To Be Praised By A Man Who Curses Himself Thrice

Every Hour? Wouldst Thou Wish To Please A Man Who Does Not Please

Himself? Does A Man Please Himself Who Repents Of Nearly Everything That

He Does?

54. No Longer Let Thy Breathing Only Act In Concert With The Air Which

Surrounds Thee,  But Let Thy Intelligence Also Now Be In Harmony With The

Intelligence Which Embraces All Things. For The Intelligent Power Is No

Less Diffused In All Parts And Pervades All Things For Him Who Is

Willing To Draw It To Him Than The Aerial Power For Him Who Is Able To

Respire It.

55. Generally,  Wickedness Does No Harm At All To The Universe; And

Particularly The Wickedness [Of One Man] Does No Harm To Another. It Is

Only Harmful To Him Who Has It In His Power To Be Released From It As

Soon As He Shall Choose.

56. To My Own Free Will The Free Will Of My Neighbor Is Just As

Indifferent As His Poor Breath And Flesh. For Though We Are Made

Especially For The Sake Of One Another,  Still The Ruling Power Of Each

Of Us Has Its Own Office,  For Otherwise My Neighbor's Wickedness Would

Be My Harm,  Which God Has Not Willed,  In Order That My Unhappiness May

Not Depend On Another.

57. The Sun Appears To Be Poured Down,  And In All Directions Indeed It

Is Diffused,  Yet It Is Not Effused. For This Diffusion Is Extension:

Accordingly Its Rays Are Called Extensions [[Greek: Aktines]] Because

They Are Extended [[Greek: Apo Tou Ekteinesthai]].[A] But One May Judge

What Kind Of A Thing A Ray Is,  If He Looks At The Sun's Light Passing

Through A Narrow Opening Into A Darkened Room,  For It Is Extended In A

Right Line,  And As It Were Is Divided When It Meets With Any Solid Body

Which Stands In The Way And Intercepts The Air Beyond; But There The

Light Remains Fixed And Does Not Glide Or Fall Off. Such Then Ought To

Be The Outpouring And Diffusion Of The Understanding,  And It Should In

No Way Be An Effusion,  But An Extension,  And It Should Make No Violent

Or Impetuous Collision With The Obstacles Which Are In Its Way; Nor Yet

Fall Down,  But Be Fixed,  And Enlighten That Which Receives It. For A

Body Will Deprive Itself Of The Illumination,  If It Does Not Admit It.

    [A] A Piece Of Bad Etymology.

58. He Who Fears Death Either Fears The Loss Of Sensation Or A Different

Kind Of Sensation. But If Thou Shalt Have No Sensation,  Neither Wilt

Thou Feel Any Harm; And If Thou Shalt Acquire Another Kind Of Sensation,

Thou Wilt Be A Different Kind Of Living Being And Thou Wilt Not Cease To

Live.

59. Men Exist For The Sake Of One Another. Teach Them Then,  Or Bear With

Them.

60. In One Way An Arrow Moves,  In Another Way The Mind. The Mind Indeed,

Both When It Exercises Caution And When It Is Employed About Inquiry,

Moves Straight Onward Not The Less,  And To Its Object.

61. Enter Into Every Man's Ruling Faculty; And Also Let Every Other Man

Enter Into Thine.[A]

    [A] Compare Epictetus,  Iii. 9,  12.

Ix.

He Who Acts Unjustly Acts Impiously. For Since The Universal Nature Has

Made Rational Animals For The Sake Of One Another,  To Help One Another

According To Their Deserts,  But In No Way To Injure One Another,  He Who

Transgresses Her Will Is Clearly Guilty Of Impiety Towards The Highest

Divinity. And He Too Who Lies Is Guilty Of Impiety To The Same Divinity;

For The Universal Nature Is The Nature Of Things That Are; And Things

That Are Have A Relation To All Things That Come Into Existence.[A] And

Further,  This Universal Nature Is Named Truth,  And Is The Prime Cause Of

All Things That Are True. He Then Who Lies Intentionally Is Guilty Of

Impiety,  Inasmuch As He Acts Unjustly By Deceiving; And He Also Who Lies

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