Meditations-Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was emperor of Rome from AD 161 to his death in 180, during which time he witnessed the gradual crumbling of the Roman Frontiers, as well as famines and plagues. He turned more and more to the study of Stoic philosophy and, while staying in the Danube region, wrote down the reflections now known as his meditations, which reveal a mind of great humanity and natural humility

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A good man does not spy around for the black spots in others but presses unswervingly on towards his mark.”

A healthy pair of eyes should see everything that can be seen and not say “No! Too bright!” (which is a symptom of ophthalmia). A healthy sense of hearing or smell should be prepared for any sound or scent; a healthy stomach should have the same reaction to all foods as a mill to what it grinds. So too a healthy mind should be prepared for anything. The one that keeps saying “Are my children all right?” or “Everyone must approve of me” is eyes that can only stand pale color

A key point to bear in mind.The value of attentiveness varies in proportion to its object. You’re better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.”

A little flesh a little breath and a Reason to rule all – that is myself.”

A little wisp of soul carrying a corpse.”—Epictetus.”

                                                                   A man

A man must stand erect not be kept erect by others.”

A man should always have these two rules in readiness. First to do only what the reason of your ruling and legislating faculties suggest for the service of man. Second to change your opinion whenever anyone at hand sets you right and unsettles you in an opinion but this change of opinion should come only because you are persuaded that something is just or to the public advantage not because it appears pleasant or increases your reputation.”

A man without ever the least appearance of anger or any other passion; able at the same time most exactly to observe the Stoic Apathia or unpassionateness and yet to be most tender-hearted ever of good credit; and yet almost without any noise or rumour very learned and yet making little show.”

A man’s greatness lies not in wealth and station as the vulgar believe not yet in his intellectual capacity which is often associated with the meanest moral character the most abject servility to those in high places and arrogance to the poor and lowly; but a man’s true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else on frequent self-examination and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to

A Man’s life is dyed the color of his imagination.”

A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.”

A noble man compares and estimates himself by an idea which is higher than himself; and a mean man by one lower than himself. The one produces aspiration; the other ambition which is the way in which a vulgar man aspires.”

A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.”

A philosopher without clothes and one without books. “I have nothing to eat” says he as he stands there half-naked “but I subsist on the logos.” And with nothing to read I subsist on it too.”

A prudent governor will not roughly oppose even the superstitions of his people; and though he may wish that they were wiser he will know that he cannot make them so by offending their prejudices.”

A trite but effective tactic against the fear of death.Think of the list of people who had to be pried away from life. What did they gain by dying old? In the end they all sleep six feet under—Caedicianus Fabius Julian Lepidus and all the rest. They buried their contemporaries and were buried in turn. Our lifetime is so brief. And to live it out in these circumstances among these people in this body? Nothing to get excited about.

A wrongdoer is often a man who has left something undone not always one who has done something.”

About what am I now employing my own soul? On every occasion I must ask myself this question and inquire What have I now in this part of me which they call the ruling principle? and whose soul have I now—that of a child or of a young man or of a feeble woman or of a tyrant or of a domestic animal or of a wild beast?”

 

Accept modestly.Surrender gracefully.

Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you togetherbut do so with all your heart.”

Accept whatever comes to you woven in the pattern of your destiny for what could more aptly fit your needs?”

Accustom yourself not to be disregarding of what someone else has to sayas far as possible enter into the mind of the speaker.”

Adapt yourself to the life you have been given; and truly love the people with whom destiny has surrounded you”

Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live.”

Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died and the same thing happened to both.”

                                                                         All

All human beings have a share of the logos and all have roles to play in the vast design that is the world. But this is not to say that all humans are equal or that the roles they are assigned are interchangeable. . most of his contemporaries took it for granted that human society was hierarchical and this is borne out by the images he uses to describe it.

All is ephemeral both what remembers and what is remembered.”

All men are made one for another.Either then teach them better or bear with them.”

All of us are creatures of a day; the rememberer and the remembered a. All is ephemeral—both memory and the object of memory. The time is at hand when you will have forgotten everything; and the time is at hand when all will have forgotten you. Always reflect that soon you will be no one and nowhere.”

All of us are working on the same project. Some consciously with understanding; some without knowing it. (I think this is what Heraclitus meant when he said that “those who sleep are also hard at work”—that they too collaborate in what happens.) Some of us work in one way and some in others. And those who complain and try to obstruct and thwart things—they help as much as anyone. The world needs them as well. So make up your mind who you’ll choose to work with.

All that comes to pass is as familiar and well known as the rose in spring and the grape in summer. Of fashion are sickness death calumny intrigue and all that gladdens or saddens the foolish.”

All things fade and quickly turn to myth.”

All things fade into the storied past and in a little while are shrouded in oblivion.”

All things from eternity are of forms and come round in a circle.”

All things of the body stream away a river all things of the mind are dreams and delusion; life is warfare and a visit to a strange land; the only lasting fame is oblivion.”

Altogether the interval is small between birth and death; and consider with how much trouble and in company with what sort of people and in what a feeble body this interval is laboriously passed. Do not then consider life a thing of any value. For look to the immensity of time behind thee and to the time which is before thee another boundless space. In this infinity then what is the difference between him who lives three days and him who lives three generations?”

Ambition means tying your well-being to what other people say or do. Self-indulgence means tying it to the things that happen to you. Sanity means tying it to your own actions.”

An empty pageant ; a stage play ; flocks of sheep ; herds of cattle ; a tussle of spearmen ; a bone flung among a pack of curs ; a crumb tossed into a pond of fish ; ants,loaded and labouring ; mice scared and scampering ;puppets , jerking on their strings -THAT IS LIFE . In the midst of it all you must take your stand , good temperedly and without disdain, yet always aware that a man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions

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. Think”

And he cares nothing for their praise—men who can’t even meet their own standards.”

And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain from injustice and this is plainly impiety.”

And here are two of the most immediately useful thoughts you will dip into. First that things cannot touch the mindthey are external and inert; anxieties can only come from your internal judgement. Second hat all these things you see will change almost as you look at them and then will be no more. Constantly bring to mind all that you yourself have already seen changed. The universe is change. Life is judgement.”

And in the case of superior things stars we discover a kind of unity in separation. The higher we rise on the scale of being the easier it is to discern a connection even among things separated by vast distances.”

And not to think of philosophy as your instructor but as the sponge and egg white that relieve ophthalmia—as a soothing ointment a warm lotion.”

And so accept everything that happens even if it is disagreeable because it leads to this to the health of the universe and to the prosperity and felicity of Zeus”

And that might be applied to him which is recorded of Socrates that he was able both to abstain from and to enjoy those things which many are too weak to abstain from and cannot enjoy without excess.But to be strong enough both to bear the one and to be sober in the other is the mark of a man who has a perfect and invincible soul such as he showed in the illness of Maximus.”

And the things which conduce in any way to the commodity of life and of which fortune gives an abundant supply he [my father] used without arrogance and without excusing himself; so that when he had them he enjoyed them without affectation and when he had them not he did not want them.”

And these your professed politicians the only true practical philosophers of the world (as they think of themselves) so full of affected gravity or such professed lovers of virtue and honesty what wretches be they in very deed; how vile and contemptible in themselves? O man! what ado doest thou keep?”

And those who complain and try to obstruct and thwart things—they help as much as anyone. The world needs them as well.”

And thou wilt give thyself relief if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion from the commands of reason and all hypocrisy and self-love and discontent with the portion which has been given to thee.”

And to behave in a conciliatory way when people who have angered or annoyed us want to make up.”

Anger and the sorrow it produces are far more harmful than the things which make us angry.”

Anger cannot be dishonest.”

Another does wrong. What is that to me? Let him look to it; he has his own disposition his own activity. I have now what Universal Nature wills me to have and I do what my own nature wills me to do.”

Another useful point to bear in mind. What qualities has nature given us to counter that defect? As an antidote to unkindness it gave us kindness. And other qualities to balance other flaws.”

Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no part of it for nothing is made worse or better by praise.”

As far as you can get into the habit of asking yourself in relation to any action taken by another” What is his point of reference here?” But begin with yourself examine yourself first.”

As for life therefore and death honour and dishonour labour and pleasure riches and poverty all these things happen unto men indeed both good and bad equally; but as things which of themselves are neither good nor bad; because of themselves neither shameful nor praiseworthy.”

As for others whose lives are not so ordered he reminds himself constantly of the characters they exhibit daily and nightly at home and abroad and of the sort of society they frequent; and the approval of such men who do not even stand well in their own eyes has no value for him.” “In this flowing stream then on which there is no abiding what is there of the things which hurry by on which a man would set a high price? It would be just as if a man should fall in love with

Asia and Europetiny corners of the Cosmos. Every seaa mere drop. Mount Athosa lump of dirt. The present moment is the smallest point in all eternity. All is microscopic changeable disappearing. All things come from that faraway place either originating directly from that governing part which is common to all or else following from it as consequences.

At dawn when you have trouble getting out of bed tell yourself“I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of if I’m going to do what I was born for— the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm? —But it’s nicer here. . . . So you were born to feel “nice”?

At every instant the objects and events in the world around us bombard us with impressions. As they do so they produce a phantasia a mental impression. From this the mind generates a perception (hypolepsis) which might best be compared to a print made from a photographic negative. Ideally this print will be an accurate and faithful representation of the original. But it may not be. It may be blurred or it may include shadow images that distort or obscure the original.

Attend to the matter before you whether it is an opinion or an act or a word. You suffer this justly for you choose rather to become good tomorrow than to be good today.”

                                                             Be                      

 Be cheerful also and seek not external help nor the tranquility which others give. A man then must stand erect not be kept erect by others.”

Be content to seem what you really are.”

Be not disgusted nor discouraged nor dissatisfied if thou dost not succeed in doing everything according to right principles; but when thou bast failed return back again and be content if the greater part of what thou doest is consistent with man’s nature and love this to which thou returnest”

Be the cliff against which the waves continually break; but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.”

Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”

Be your own master and look at things as a man as a human being as a citizen as a mortal creature.”

Bear in mind that everything that exists is already fraying at the edges and in transition subject to fragmentation and to rot. Or that everything was born to die.”

Beautiful things of any kind are beautiful in themselves and sufficient to themselves. Praise is extraneous. The object of praise remains what it was—no better and no worse. This applies I think even to “beautiful” things in ordinary life—physical objects artworks. Does anything genuinely beautiful need supplementing? No more than justice does—or or kindness or humility. Are any of those improved by being praised? Or damaged by contempt?

Because a thing seems difficult for you do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish.”

Because your own strength is unequal to the task do not assume that it is beyond the powers of man; but if anything is within the powers and province of man believe that it is within your own compass also.  ”

Begin each day by telling yourself ,Today I shall be meeting with interference ingratitude insolence disloyalty ill-will and selfishness – all of them due to the offenders’ ignorance of what is good or evil. But for my part I have long perceived the nature of good and its nobility the nature of evil and its meanness and also the nature of the culprit himself who is my brother (not in the physical sense but as a fellow creature similarly endowed with reason and a share of

Begin the morning by saying to yourself I shall meet with the busybody the ungrateful arrogant deceitful envious unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil. But I who have seen the nature of the good that it is beautiful and of the bad that it is ugly and the nature of him who does wrong that it is akin to me not only of the same blood or seed but that it participates in the same intelligence and the same portion of the

Betimes in the morning say to thyself This day I shalt have to do with an idle curious man with an unthankful man a railer a crafty false or an envious man; an unsociable uncharitable man. All these ill qualities have happened unto them through ignorance of that which is truly good and truly bad.”

Blame and praise have no true effects.”

Body. Soul. Mind. Sensations the body. Desires the soul. Reasoning the mind. To experience sensation even grazing beasts do that. To let your desires control you even wild animals do that—and rutting humans and tyrants (from Phalaris to Nero . . .). To make your mind your guide to what seems best even people who deny the gods do that. Even people who betray their country.

But among the things readiest to hand to which you shall turn let there be these twoOne is that things do not touch the soul for they are external to its movement but your anguish only comes from judgments within. The other is that all these things which you see now are changing and will cease to be and constantly bear in mind how many of these changes you have already witnessed. The universe is transformation. Life is judgement.”

 

But cast away the thirst after books that thou mayest not die murmuring but cheerfully truly and from thy heart thankful to the gods.”

But death and life honor and dishonor pain and pleasure—all these things equally happen to good men and bad being things which make us neither better nor worse. Therefore they are neither good nor evil.”

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.

But knows that what the heart is full of the man will do. ‘Such as thy thoughts and ordinary cogitations are’ he says ‘such will thy mind be in time.’ And every page of the book shows us that he knew thought was sure to issue in act. He drills his soul as it were in right principles that when the time comes it may be guided by them. To wait until the emergency is to be too late.”

Call to mind the whole of Substance of which you have a very small portion and the whole of time whereof a small hair’s breadth has been determined for you and of the chain of causation whereof you are how small a link.”

Casting aside other things hold to the precious few; and besides bear in mind that every man lives only the present which is an indivisible point and that all the rest of his life is either past or is uncertain.”

Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.”

Concentrate every minute a Roman— a man— on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness tenderly willingly with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions. Yes you can— if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life and stop being aimless stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you stop being hypocritical self-centered irritable.

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.”

Consider the nature of all worldly sensible things; of those especially which either ensnare by pleasure or for their irksomeness are dreadful or for their outward lustre and show are in great esteem and request how vile and contemptible how base and corruptible how destitute of all true life and being they are.”

Constantly observe who those are whose approval you wish to have and what ruling principles they possess. For then you will neither blame those who offend involuntarily nor will you want their approval if you look to the sources of their opinions and appetites.”

Constantly regard the universe as one living being having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception the perception of this one living being; and how all things act with one movement; and how all things are the cooperating causes of all things that exist; observe too the continuous spinning of the thread and the contexture of the web.”

Constantly think of the universe as one living creature embracing one being and soul; how all is absorbed into the one consciousness of this living creature; how it compasses all things with a single purpose and how all things work together to cause all that comes to pass and their wonderful web and texture.”

 Do

Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.”

Do external things distract you? Then make time for yourself to learn something worthwhile; stop letting yourself be pulled in all directions. But make sure you guard against the other kind of confusion. People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time—even when hard at work.”

Do the things external which fall upon thee distract thee? Give thyself time to learn something new and good and cease to be whirled around. But then thou must also avoid being carried about the other way. For those too are triflers who have wearied themselves in life by their activity and yet have no object to which to direct every movement and in a word all their thoughts.”

Do what you will. Even if you tear yourself apart most people will continue doing the same things.”

Do you have reason? I have. Why then do you not use it? For if reason does its own work what else could you wish for?”

Do your best to convince them. But act on your own if justice requires it. If met with force then fall back on acceptance and peaceability. Use the setback to practice other virtues. Remember that our efforts are subject to circumstances; you weren’t aiming to do the impossible. —Aiming to do what then? To try. And you succeeded. What you set out to do is accomplished.”

Do not

Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power.”

Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live while it is in your power be good.”

Do not be ashamed of help.”

Do not despise death but be well content with it since this too is one of those things that 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 grey hairs and to beget and to be pregnant and to bring forth and all the other natural operations that the seasons of your life bring such also is dissolution.

Do not disturb yourself by picturing your life as a whole; do not assemble in your mind the many and varied troubles which have come to you in the past and will come again in the future but ask yourself with regard to every present difficulty’What is there in this that is unbearable and beyond endurance?’ You would be ashamed to confess it! And then remind yourself that it is not the future or what has passed that afflicts you but always the present.

Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.”

Do not let the future disturb you for you will arrive there if you arrive with the same reason you now apply to the present.”

Do not look around to discover other people’s ruling principles but look straight to this to what nature leads you both the universal nature through which things happen to you and your own nature through the acts which must be done by you.”

Do not suppose you are hurt and your complaint ceases; cease your complaint and you are not hurt”

Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; and if it is humanly possible consider it to be within your reach.”

Do not waste the remainder of thy life in thoughts about others when thou dost not refer thy thoughts to some object of common utility.”

Don’t be ashamed to need help. a soldier storming a wall you have a mission to accomplish. And if you’ve been wounded and you need a comrade to pull you up? So what?”

Don’t be irritated at people’s smell or bad breath. What’s the point? With that mouth with those armpits they’re going to produce that odor. —But they have a brain! Can’t they figure it out? Can’t they recognize the problem? So you have a brain as well. Good for you. Then use your logic to awaken his. Show him. Make him realize it. If he’ll listen then you’ll have solved the problem. Without anger.”

Don’t go on discussing what a good person should be. Just be one.”

Don’t let your imagination be crushed by life as a whole. Don’t try to picture everything bad that could possibly happen. Stick with the situation at hand and ask “Why is this so unbearable? Why can’t I endure it?” You’ll be embarrassed to answer. Then remind yourself that past and future have no power over you. Only the present—and even that can be minimized. Just mark off its limits.”

Don’t let yourself forget how many doctors have died furrowing their brows over how many deathbeds. How many astrologers after pompous forecasts about others’ ends. How many philosophers after endless disquisitions on death and immortality. How many warriors after inflicting thousands of casualties themselves. How many tyrants after abusing the power of life and death atrociously as if they were themselves immortal. How many whole cities have met their end.

Don’t live as though you were going to live a myriad years. Fate is hanging over your head; while you have life while you may become good.”

Don’t look down on death but welcome it. It too is one of the things required by nature. youth and old age. growth and maturity. a new set of teeth a beard the first gray hair. sex and pregnancy and childbirth. all the other physical changes at each stage of life our dissolution is no different. So this is how a thoughtful person should await deathnot with indifference not with impatience not with disdain but simply viewing it as one of the things that happen to us.

Don’t waste the rest of your time here worrying about other people—unless it affects the common good. It will keep you from doing anything useful. You’ll be too preoccupied with what so-and-so is doing and why and what they’re saying and what they’re thinking and what they’re up to and all the other things that throw you off and keep you from focusing on your own mind.”

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them.”  ―

                                                Death

Death hangs over thee. While thou livest while it is in thy power be good.”

Death is a cessation from the impression of the senses the tyranny of the passions the errors of the mind and the servitude of the body.”

Death is a release from the impressions of the senses and from desires that make us their puppets and from the vagaries of the mind and from the hard service of the flesh.”

Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back.”

Death. The end of sense-perception of being controlled by our emotions of mental activity of enslavement to our bodies.”

Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up if you just dig.”

Disgraceful for the soul to give up when the body is still going strong.”

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.”

Does the emerald lose its beauty for lack of admiration?”

Every hour be firmly resolved… to accomplish the work at hand with fitting and unaffected dignity goodwill freedom justice. Banish from your thoughts all other considerations. This is possible if you perform each act as if it were your last rejecting every frivolous distraction every denial of the rule of reason every pretentious gesture vain show and whining complaint against the decrees of fate. Do you see what little is required of a man to live a well-tempered and god

Every instrument tool vessel if it does that for which it has been made is well and yet he who made it is not there. But in the things which are held together by nature there is within and there abides in them the power which made them; wherefore the more is it fit to reverence this power and to think that if thou dost live and act according to its will everything in thee is in conformity to intelligence. And thus also in the universe the things which belong to it are in

Every living organism is fulfilled when it follows the right path for its own nature.”

Every man is worth   just so much as the things are worth about which he busies himself. ”

Every man’s depends from himself but behold thy life is almost at an end whiles affording thyself no respect thou dost make thy to consist in the souls and conceits of other men.”

Every moment think steadily as a Roman and a man to do what thou hast in hand with perfect and simple dignity and feeling of affection and freedom and justice; and to give thyself relief from all other thoughts. And thou wilt give thyself relief if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion from the commands of reason and all hypocrisy and self-love and discontent with the portion which has been given to

Everywhere and continually it is in your power to be reverently content with your present circumstance to behave to men who are present with you according to right and to handle skillfully the present impression that nothing you have not mastered may cross the threshold of the mind.”

Everywhere at each moment you have the optionto accept this event with humility [will]; to treat this person as he should be treated [action]; to approach this thought with care so that nothing irrational creeps in [perception].”

Everything – a horse a vine – is created for some duty… For what task then were you yourself created?”

Everything fades so quickly turns into legend and soon oblivion covers it. And those are the ones who shone. The rest—“unknown unasked-for” a minute after death. What is “eternal” fame? Emptiness. Then what should we work for? Only thisproper understanding; unselfish action; ful speech. A resolve to accept whatever happens as necessary and familiar flowing water from that same source and spring.”

Everything has come into being for a purpose – a horse say a vine. Does this surprise you? Even the sun will say ‘I came into being for a purpose’wise the other gods. for what purpose then were you created? for your pleasure? Just see whether this idea can be entertained.”

Everything has come into being for a purpose – a horse say a vine. Does this surprise you? Even the sun will say ‘I came into being for a purpose’wise the other gods. for what purpose then were you created? for your pleasure? Just see whether this idea can be entertained.”

Everything in any way beautiful has its beauty of itself inherent and self-sufficientpraise is no part of it. At any rate praise does not make anything better or worse. This applies even to the popular conception of beauty as in material things or works of art. So does the truly beautiful need anything beyond itself? No more than law no more than no more than kindness or integrity. Which of these things derives its beauty from praise or withers under criticism?

Everything is banal in experience fleeting in duration sordid in content; in all respects the same today as generations now dead and buried have found it to be.”

Everything is here for a purpose from horses to vine shoots. What’s surprising about that? Even the sun will tell you “I have a purpose” and the other gods as well. And why were you born? For pleasure? See if that answer will stand up to questioning.”

Everything is interwoven and the web is holy; none of its parts are unconnected. They are composed harmoniously and together they compose the world. One world made up of all things. One divinity present in them all.”

Everything is only for a day both that which remembers and that which is remembered”

Everything of the body is a river. Everything of the soul is dream and vapour. Life is war and the abode of a stranger. The only fame after death is oblivion.”

Everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be.”

Everything that happens happens as it should and if you observe carefully you will find this to be so.”

 

Everything that happens is as normal and expected as the spring rose or the summer fruit; this is true of sickness ,death, slander ,intrigue , and all other things that delight or trouble foolish men.

Everything that happens is either endurable or not. If it’s endurable then endure it. Stop complaining. If it’s unendurable … then stop complaining. Your destruction will mean its end as well.”

Everything which belongs to the body is a stream and what belongs to the soul is a dream”

Everything you’re trying to reach—by taking the long way round—you could have right now this moment. If you’d only stop thwarting your own attempts. If you’d only let go of the past entrust the future to Providence and guide the present toward reverence and justice. Reverenceso you’ll accept what you’re allotted. Nature intended it for you and you for it. Justiceso that you’ll speak the frankly and without evasions and act as you should—and as other people deserve.”

Either pain affects the body (which is the body’s problem) or it affects the soul. But the soul can choose not to be affected preserving its own serenity its own tranquillity. All our decisions urges desires aversions lie within. No evil can touch them.”

Either pain affects the body (which is the body’s problem) or it affects the soul. But the soul can choose not to be affected preserving its own serenity its own tranquillity. All our decisions urges desires aversions lie within. No evil can touch them.”

Either the gods have no power or they have power. If then they have no power why do you pray to them? But if they have power why do you not pray for them to give you the faculty of not fearing any of the things that you fear or of not desiring any of the things that you desire or not being pained at anything rather than pray that they should grant this or refuse that? For certainly if they can cooperate with men they can cooperate for these purposes. But perhaps you will

Even if you’re going to live three thousand more years or ten times that rememberyou cannot lose another life than the one you’re living now or live another one than the one you’re losing. The longest amounts to the same as the shortest. The present is the same for everyone; its loss is the same for everyone; and it should be clear that a brief instant is all that is lost. For you can’t lose either the past or the future; how could you lose what you don’t have?”

Even the least of our activities ought to have some end in view.”

Even when the gods stood on the side of righteousness they were concerned with the act more than with the intent.”

External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now. If the problem is something in your own character who’s stopping you from setting your mind straight?”

Failure to observe what is in the mind of another has seldom made a man unhappy; but those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must of necessity be unhappy.”

Failure to read what is happening in another’s soul is not easily seen as a cause of unbut those who fail to attend the motions of their own soul are necessarily unhappy.”

Finally in every event which leads you to sorrow remember to use this principlethat this is not a misfortune but that to bear it a brave man is good fortune.”

Finally therefore remember your retreat into this little domain which is yourself and above all be not disturbed nor on the rack but be free and look at things as a man a human being a citizen a creature that must die.”

Fire feeds on obstacles”

For all things fade and turn to fable and quickly too utter oblivion covers them sand.”

For it is according to nature and nothing is evil which is according to nature

For it is in your power to retire into yourself whenever you choose.”

For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquillity; and I affirm that tranquillity is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind.”

For outward show is a wonderful perverter of the reason.”

 

For the entire earth is but a point and the place of your own habitation but a minute corner in it. (…) Remember then to withdraw into the little field of self. Above all never struggle or strain; but be master of yourself.”

For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived if it is true that this is the only thing which he has and that a man cannot lose a thing if he has it not.”

For the sole thing of which any man can be deprived is the present; since this is all he owns and nobody can lose what is not his.”

For the whole earth is a point and how small a nook in it is this thy dwelling and how few are there in it and what kind of people are they who will praise thee. This then remains Remember to retire into this little territory of thy own and above all do not distract or strain thyself but be free and look at things as a man as a human being as a citizen as a mortal.”

For then thou wilt neither blame those who offend involuntarily nor wilt thou want their approbation if thou lookest to the sources of their opinions and appetites.”

For there is no retreat that is quieter or freer from trouble than a man’s own soul especially when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquillity; and tranquillity is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind.”

For times when you feel painSee that it doesn’t disgrace you or degrade your intelligence—doesn’t keep it from acting rationally or unselfishly. And in most cases what Epicurus said should helpthat pain is neither unbearable nor unending as long as you keep in mind its limits and don’t magnify them in your imagination. And keep in mind too that pain often comes in disguise— as drowsiness fever loss of appetite. . . . When you’re bothered by things that remind yourself“I’m

Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember itEach of us lives only now this brief instant. The rest has been lived already or is impossible to see. The span we live is small—small as the corner of the earth in which we live it. Small as even the greatest renown passed from mouth to mouth by short-lived stick figures ignorant a of themselves and those long dead.”

Frequently consider the connection of all things in the Universe. … Reflect upon the multitude of bodily and mental events taking place in the same brief time simultaneously in every one of us and so you will not be surprised that many more events or rather all things that come to pass exist simultaneously in the one and entire unity which we call the Universe. … We should not say ‘I am an Athenian’ or ‘I am a Roman’ but ‘I am a Citizen of the Universe’.”

Frightened of change? But what can exist without it? What’s closer to nature’s heart? Can you take a hot bath and leave the firewood as it was? Eat food without transforming it? Can any vital process take place without something being changed? Can’t you see? It’s just the same with you—and just as vital to nature.”

Frightened of change? But what can exist without it? What’s closer to nature’s heart? Can you take a hot bath and leave the firewood as it was? Eat food without transforming it? Can any vital process take place without something being changed? Can’t you see? It’s just the same with you—and just as vital to nature.”

From Alexander the Platonic not frequently nor without necessity to say to any one or to write in a letter that I have not leisure; nor continually to excuse the neglect of duties required by our relations to those with whom we live by alleging urgent occupations.”

From my governor to be neither of the green nor of the blue party at the games in the Circus nor a partisan either of the Parmularius or the Scutarius at the gladiators’ fights; from him too I learned endurance of labor and to want little and to work with my own hands and not to meddle with other people’s affairs and not to be ready to listen to slander.”

From my great-grandfather not to have attended schools for the public; to have had good teachers at home and to realize that this is the sort of thing on which one should spend lavishly.”

 

From the philosopher Catulus never to be dismissive of a friend’s accusation even if it seems unreasonable but to make every effort to restore the relationship to its normal condition.”

Give thyself time to learn something new and good and cease to be whirled around.”

Give up your thirst for books so that you do not die a grouch.”

Give your heart to the trade you have learnt and draw refreshment from it.”

God give me patience to reconcile with what I am not able to change Give me strength to change what I can And give me wisdom to distinguish one from another.”

How cruel—to forbid people to want what they think is good for them. And yet that’s just what you won’t let them do when you get angry at their misbehavior. They’re drawn toward what they think is good for them. —But it’s not good for them. Then show them that. Prove it to them. Instead of losing your temper.”

How do we know that Telauges wasn’t a better man than Socrates? It’s not enough to ask whether Socrates’ death was nobler whether he debated with the sophists more adeptly whether he showed greater endurance by spending the night out in the cold and when he was ordered to arrest the man from Salamis decided it was preferable to refuse and “swaggered about the streets” (which one could reasonably doubt). What matters is what kind of soul he had. Whether he was satisfied to

How free from all vanity he carried himself in matter of honour and dignity (as they are esteemed:) his laboriousness and assiduity his readiness to hear any man that had aught to say tending to any common good how generally and impartially he would give every man his due; his skill and knowledge”

How good it is when you have roast meat or such foods before you to impress on your mind that this is the dead body of a fish this the dead body of a bird or pig.”

How many together with whom I came into the world are already gone out of it.”

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.”

How much time he saves who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks.”

How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life”

How ridiculous and unrealistic is the man who is astonished at anything that happens in life.”

How ridiculous and what a stranger he is who is surprised at anything which happens in life.”

How ridiculous not to flee from one’s own wickedness which is possible yet endeavour to flee from another’s which is not.”

How soon will time cover all things.”

How strangely men act. They will not praise those who are living at the same time and living with themselves; but to be themselves praised by posterity by those whom they have never seen or ever will see this they set much value on. But this is very much the same as if you should be grieved because those who have lived before you did not praise you.”

How unlucky I am that this should happen to me. But not at all. Perhaps say how lucky I am that I am not broken by what has happened and I am not afraid of what is about to happen. For the same blow might have stricken anyone but not many would have absorbed it without capitulation and complaint.”

Hark ye friend; you have been a burgher of this great city. What matter whether you have lived in it but five years or three? If you have observed the laws of the corporation the length or shortness of the time makes no difference. Where is the hardship then if Nature that planted you here orders your removal? You cannot say you are sent off by a tyrant or an unjust judge. No; you quit the stage as fairly as a player does that has his discharge from the master of the reve

He claimed that a man’s life should be valued according to the value of the things to which he gave his attention.”

He is a fugitive he who flees from the reason that governs our soicial life; a blind man he who closes the eyes of his mind; a beggar he who depends on another and does not possess within himself all that is necessary for life; an abscess on the body of the universe he who sets himself apart and cuts himself off from the reason of our common nature because he is dissatisfied with what comes to pass; for this is brought about by the same order of nature that brought you to

He is an abscess on the universe who withdraws and separates himself from the reason of our common nature through being displeased with the things that happen; for the same nature that produces these things has produced you too:”

He that sinneth sinneth unto himself. He that is unjust hurts himself in that he makes himself worse than he was before. Not he only that committeth but he also that omitteth something is oftentimes unjust.”

He who dreads death dreads either an extinction of all sense or dreads a different sort of sensation. If all sense is extinguished there can be no sense of evil. If a different sort of sense is acquired you become another sort of living creature; and don’t cease to live.”

He who eats my bread does my will.”

He who has seen the present has seen everything that which happened in the most distant past and that which will happen in the future.”

He who is greedy of credit and reputation after his death doth not consider that they themselves by whom he is remembered shall soon after every one of them be dead; and they wise that succeed those; until at last all memory which hitherto by the succession of men admiring and soon after dying hath had its course be quite extinct.”

Here is a rule to remember in future when anything tempts you to feel bitter not “This is misfortune” but “To bear this worthily is good fortune.”

Hippocrates cured many illnesses—and then fell ill and died. The Chaldaeans predicted the deaths of many others; in due course their own hour arrived. Alexander Pompey Caesar—who utterly destroyed so many cities cut down so many thousand foot and horse in battle—they too departed this life. Heraclitus often told us the world would end in fire. But it was moisture that carried him off; he died smeared with cowshit. Democritus was killed by ordinary vermin Socrates by the h

His education was conducted with all care. The ablest teachers were engaged for him and he was trained in the strict doctrine of the Stoic philosophy which was his great delight. He was taught to dress plainly and to live simply to avoid all softness and luxury. His body was trained to hardihood by wrestling hunting and outdoor games; and though his constitution was weak he showed great personal courage to encounter the fiercest boars. At the same time he was kept from th

Hold every hour in your grasp. Lay hold of to-day’s task and you will not need to depend so much upon to-morrow’s. While we are postponing life speeds by. Nothing Lucilius is ours except time. We were entrusted by nature with the ownership of this single thing so fleeting and slippery that anyone who will can oust us from possession.”

Honor and revere the gods treat human beings as they deserve be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. Remember nothing belongs to you but your flesh and blood—and nothing else is under your control.”

Hour by hour resolve firmly to do what comes to hand with dignity and with humanity independence and justice. Allow your mind freedom from all other considerations. This you can do if you will approach each action as though it were your last dismissing the desire to create an impression the admiration of self the discontent with your lot. See how little man needs to master for his days to flow on in quietness and pietyhe has but to observe these few counsels and the gods

Human life. Durationmomentary. Naturechangeable. Perceptiondim. Condition of Bodydecaying. Soulspinning around. Fortuneunpredictable. Lasting Fameuncertain. Sum UpThe body and its parts are a river the soul a dream and mist life is warfare and a journey far from home lasting reputation is oblivion. Then what can guide us? Only philosophy.

Human lives are brief and trivial. Yesterday a blob of semen; tomorrow embalming fluid ash. To pass through this brief life as nature demands. To give it upwithout complaint. an olive that ripens and falls. Praising its mother thanking the tree it grew on.”

Human society is a single organism an individual human body or a tree. But”

Humans have come into being for the sake of each other so either teach them or learn to bear them.”

I am composed of a body and a soul. Things that happen to the body are meaningless. It cannot discriminate among them. Nothing has meaning to my mind except its own actions. Which are within its own control. And it’s only the immediate ones that matter. Its past and future actions too are meaningless.”

I am composed of the formal and the material; and neither of them will perish into non-existence as neither of them came into existence out of non-existence. Every part of me then will be reduced by change into some part of the universe and that again will change into another part of the universe and so on for ever.”

I am happy though this has happened to me because I continue free from pain neither crushed by the present nor fearing the future”

I can control my thoughts as necessary; then how can I be troubled? What is outside my mind means nothing to it. Absorb that lesson and your feet stand firm.”

I do my dutyother things trouble me not; for they are either things without life or things without reason or things that have rambled and know not the way.”

I do not regard a man as poor if the little which remains is enough for him.”

I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.”

I have often wondered how it should come to pass that every man loving himself best should more regard other men’s opinions concerning himself than his own. For if any God or grave master standing by should command any of us to think nothing by himself but what he should presently speak out; no man were able to endure it though but for one day. Thus do we fear more what our neighbours will think of us than what we ourselves.”

I learned endurance of labour and to want little and to work with my own hands and not to meddle with other people’s affairs and not to be ready to listen to slander.”

I observed mildness of temper and unchangeable resolution in the things that he had determined after due deliberation; and no vainglory in those things that men call honors; and a love of labor and perseverance; and a readiness to listen to those who had anything to propose for the common weal; and undeviating firmness in giving to every man according to his deserts; and a knowledge derived from experience of the occasions for vigorous action and for remission.”

I often marvel how it is that though each man loves himself beyond all else ,he should yet value his own opinion of himself less than that of the others .So much more regard have we for our neighbour’s judgment of us than our own.

I walk in Nature’s way until I shall lie down and rest breathing my last in this from which I draw my daily breath and lying down on this from which my father drew his vital seed my mother her blood my nurse her milk; from which for so many years I am fed and watered day by day; which bears my footstep and my misusing it for so many purposes.”

I was once a fortunate man but at some point fortune abandoned me. But true good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortunegood character good intentions and good actions.”

If a thing is in your own power why do you do it? But if it is in the power of another whom do you blame? The atoms (chance) or the gods? Both are foolish. You must blame nobody. For if you can correct that which is the cause; but if you cannot do this correct at least the thing itself; but if you cannot do even this of what use is it to you to find fault? For nothing should be done without a purpose.”

 

. If all emotions are common coin then what is unique to the good man? To welcome with affection what is sent by fate. Not to stain or disturb the spirit within him with a mess of false beliefs. Instead to preserve it faithfully by calmly obeying God – saying nothing untrue doing nothing unjust. And if the others don’t acknowledge it – this life lived in simplicity humility cheerfulness – he doesn’t resent them for it and isn’t deterred from following the road where it lead

If any man can convince and show me that I do not think or act right I will gladly change; for I seek by which no man was ever injured. But he is injured who abides in his error and ignorance.”

If any man despises me that is his problem. My only concern is not doing or saying anything deserving of contempt.”  “Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.”

If anyone can refute me—show me I’m making a mistake or looking at things from the wrong perspective—I’ll gladly change. It’s the I’m after and the never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.”

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.”

If our intellectual part is common the reason also in respect of which we are rational beings is commonif this is so common also is the reason which commands us what to do and what not to do; if this is so there is a common law also; if this is so we are fellow-citizens; if this is so we are members of some political community; if this is so the world is in a manner a state.”

If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action I shall gladly change. I seek the which never harmed anyone the harm is to persist in one’s own self-deception and ignorance.”

If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right I will happily change for I seek the by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.”

If something is difficult for you to accomplish do not then think it impossible for any human being; rather if it is humanly possible and corresponds to human nature know that it is attainable by you as well.”

If the gods have determined about me and about the things which must happen to me they have determined well for it is not easy even to imagine a deity without forethought; and as to doing me harm why should they have any desire towards that? For what advantage would result to them from this or to the whole which is the special object of their providence? But if they have not determined about me individually they have certainly determined about the whole at least and the t

If the gods have made decisions about me and the things that happen to me then they were good decisions. (It’s hard to picture a god who makes bad ones.) And why would they expend their energies on causing me harm? What good would it do them—or the world which is their primary concern? And if they haven’t made decisions about me as an individual they certainly have about the general welfare. And anything that follows from that is something I have to welcome and embrace

If there were anything harmful on the other side of death they would have made sure that the ability to avoid it was within you.”

If they’ve made a mistake correct them gently and show them where they went wrong. If you can’t do that then the blame lies with you. Or no one.”

If thou findest in human life anything better than justice temperance fortitude and in a word anything better than thy own mind’s self-satisfaction in the things which it enables thee to do according to right reason and in the condition that is assigned to thee without thy own choice; if I say thou seest anything better than this turn to it with all thy soul and enjoy that which thou hast found to be the best. But if nothing appears to be better than the deity which is pl

If thou workest at that which is before thee following right reason seriously vigorously calmly without allowing anything else to distract thee but keeping thy divine part pure as if thou shouldst be bound to give it back immediately; if thou holdest to this expecting nothing fearing nothing but satisfied with thy present activity according to nature and with heroic in every word and sound which thou utterest thou wilt live happy. And there is no man who is able to preven

If unwilling to rise in the morning say to thyself ‘I awake to do the work of a man.”

If you apply yourself to the task before you following right reason seriously vigorously calmly without allowing anything else to distract you but keeping your divine part pure as if you might be bound to give it back immediately; if you hold to this expecting nothing fearing nothing but satisfied with your present activities according to nature and with heroic in every word and sound which you utter you will live happily. And there is no man who is able to prevent this.”

If you are distressed about anything the pain is not due to the thing but to your own estimate of it.”

If you are pained by any external thing it is not this thing that disturbs you but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgment now. But if anything in your own disposition gives you pain who hinders you from correcting your opinion? And even if you are pained because you are not doing some particular thing that seems to you to be right why do you not rather act than complain? “But some insuperable obstacle is in the way.” Do not be grieve

If you can cut yourself—your mind—free of what other people do and say of what you’ve said or done of the things that you’re afraid will happen the impositions of the body that contains you and the breath within and what the whirling chaos sweeps in from outside so that the mind is freed from fate brought to clarity and lives life on its own recognizance —doing what’s right accepting what happens and speaking the — If you can cut free of impressions that cling to the mind

If you do the job in a principled way with diligence energy and patience if you keep yourself free of distractions and keep the spirit inside you undamaged as if you might have to give it back at any moment— If you can embrace this without fear or expectation—can find fulfillment in what you’re doing now as Nature intended and in superhuman fulness (every word every utterance)—then your life will be happy. No one can prevent that. . Doctors keep their scalpels and other

If you do the task before you always adhering to strict reason with zeal and energy and yet with humanity disregarding all lesser ends and keeping the divinity within you pure and upright as though you were even now faced with its recall – if you hold steadily to this staying for nothing and shrinking from nothing only seeking in each passing action a conformity with nature and in each word and utterance a fearless fulness then the good life shall be yours. And from this

If you set yourself to your present task along the path of true reason with all determination vigour and good will if you admit no distraction but keep your own divinity pure and standing strong as if you had to surrender it right now; if you grapple this to you expecting nothing shirking nothing but self-content with each present action taken in accordance with nature and a heroic fulness in all that you say and mean – then you will lead a good life. And nobody is able t

If you suppose that the things that are not within your power are good or bad for you then if you suffer a bad thing or the loss of a good thing you will blame the gods and hate men toothose who are the cause of the misfortune or the loss or those who are suspected of being the ly cause; and indeed we do a great injustice when we dwell on such matters. But if we judge only those things that are in our power to be good or bad there remains no reason either for finding faul

If you suppose that the things that are not within your power are good or bad for you then if you suffer a bad thing or the loss of a good thing you will blame the gods and hate men toothose who are the cause of the misfortune or the loss or those who are suspected of being the ly cause; and indeed we do a great injustice when we dwell on such matters. But if we judge only those things that are in our power to be good or bad there remains no reason either for finding fault

If you work at that which is before you following right reason   seriously vigorously calmly without allowing anything else to distract   you but keeping your divine part pure as if you should be bound   to give it back immediately; if you hold to this expecting nothing   fearing nothing but satisfied with your present activity according   to nature and with heroic in every word and sound which you   utter you will live happy. And there is no man who is able to   prevent

If you’re honest and straightforward and mean well it should show in your eyes. It should be unmistakable.”

In a little while you will have forgotten everything; in a little while everything will have forgotten you.”

In a sense people are our proper occupation. Our job is to do them good and put up with them. But when they obstruct our proper tasks they become irrelevant to us— sun wind animals. Our actions may be impeded by them but there can be no impeding our intentions or our dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the wa

In all things to endeavour to have power of myself and in nothing to be carried about; to be cheerful and courageous in all sudden chances and accidents as in sicknessesto love mildness and moderation and gravityand to do my business whatsoever it be thoroughly and without querulousness. Whatsoever he said all men believed him that as he spake so he thought and whatsoever he did that he did it with a good intent. His manner was never to wonder a

In an expression of true gratitude sadness is conspicuous only by its absence”

In comparing sins (the way people do) Theophrastus says that the ones committed out of desire are worse than the ones committed out of angerwhich is good philosophy. The angry man seems to turn his back on reason out of a kind of pain and inner convulsion. But the man motivated by desire who is mastered by pleasure seems somehow more self- indulgent less manly in his sins. Theophrastus is right and philosophically sound to say that the sin committed out of pleasure deserv

In everything that you do pause and ask yourself if death is a dreadful thing because it deprives you of this.”

In no great while you will be no one and nowhere and nothing that you now behold will be in existence nor will anyone now alive. For it is in the nature of all things to change and alter and perish so that others may arise in their turn.”

In the human life time is but an instant and the substance of it a flux and the perception dull and the composition of the whole body subject to putrefaction and the soul a whirl and fortune hard to divine and fame a thing devoid of certainty. And to say all in a word everything that belongs to the body is a stream and what belongs to the soul is a dream and vapor and life is a warfare and a stranger’s sojourn and after- fame is oblivion. What then can guide a man? One th

In the human life time is but an instant and the substance of it a flux and the perception dull and the composition of the whole body subject to putrefaction and the soul a whirl and fortune hard to divine and fame a thing devoid of certainty. And to say all in a word everything that belongs to the body is a stream and what belongs to the soul is a dream and vapor and life is a warfare and a stranger’s sojourn and after- fame is oblivion. What then can guide a man?

In the life of a man his time is but a moment his being an incessant flux his sense a dim rushlight his body a prey of worms his soul an unquiet eddy his fortune dark his fame doubtful. In short all that is body is as coursing waters all that is of the soul as dreams and vapors.”

In the morning when thou risest unwillingly let this thought be present – I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world?”

In the morning when you rise unwillingly let this thought be presentI am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this to lie under the blankets and keep myself warm? But this is more pleasant. Do you exist then to take your pleasure and not at all for action or exertion?”

in the ways of Nature there is no evil to be found.”

Is any man so foolish as to fear change to which all things that once were not owe their being? And”

Is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”

It is a ridiculous thing for a man not to fly from his own badness which is indeed possible but to fly from other men’s badness which is impossible.”

It is a shame when the soul is first to give way in this life and the body does not give way.”

It is circumstances (difficulties) which show what men are. Therefore when a difficulty falls upon you remember that God a trainer of wrestlers has matched you with a rough young man. For what purpose? you may say. Why that you may become an Olympic conqueror; but it is not accomplished without sweat. In my opinion no man has had a more profitable difficulty than you have had if you choose to make use of it as an athlete would deal with a young antagonist.”

It is in other words not objects and events but the interpretations we place on them that are the problem. Our duty is therefore to exercise stringent control over the faculty of perception with the aim of protecting our mind from error.”

It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing and not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments.”

It is in your own power to maintain the beauty of your soul or to be a decent human being.”

It is in your power to withdraw yourself whenever you desire. Perfect tranquility within consists in the good ordering of the mind the realm of your own.”

It is man’s peculiar duty to love even those who wrong him.”

It is my bad luck that this has happened to me.’ No you should rather say’It is my good luck that although this has happened to me I can bear it without pain neither crushed by the present not fearful of the future.’ Because such a thing could have happened to any man but not every man could have borne it without pain. So why see more misfortune in the event than good fortune in your ability to bear it?”

It is no evil for things to undergo change and no good for things to subsist in consequence of change. .”

It is not death that a man should fear but he should fear never beginning to live.”

It is peculiar to man to love even those who do wrong. And this happens if when they do wrong it occurs to you that they are fellow humans and that they do wrong through ignorance and unintentionally and that soon both of you will die; and above all that the wrongdoer has done you no harm for he has not made your ruling faculty worse than it was before.”

It is the act of an ill-instructed man to blame others for his own bad condition; it is the act of one who has begun to be instructed to lay the blame on himself; and of one whose instruction is completed neither to blame another nor himself.”  “Spend not the remnant of thy days in thoughts and fancies concerning other men when it is not in relation to some common good when by it thou art hindered from some other better work.”

It is the part of a man endowed with a good understanding faculty to consider what they themselves are in very deed from whose bare conceits and voices honour and credit do proceedas also what it is to die and how if a man shall consider this by itself alone to die and separate from it in his mind all those things which with it usually represent themselves unto us he can conceive of it no otherwise than as of a work of nature and he that fears any work of nature is a v

It is within our power not to make a judgement about something and so not disturb our minds; for nothing in itself possesses the power to form our judgements.”

It isn’t ceasing to live that [I’m] afraid of but never beginning to live properlyز”

It never ceases to amaze mewe all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinion than our own.”

It should be a man’s task says the Imitation ‘to overcome himself and every day to be stronger than himself.’ ‘In withstanding of the passions standeth very peace of heart.’ ‘Let us set the axe to the root that we being purged of our passions may have a peaceable mind.’ To this end there must be continual self-examination. ‘If thou may not continually gather thyself together namely sometimes do it at least once a day the morning or the evening. In the morning purpose in t

It was my tutor who dissuaded me from patronizing Green or Blue at the races or Light or Heavy in the ring;”

It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.”

It’s the I’m after and the never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.”

Its a dream a fearful dream life is”

Is your cucumber bitter? Throw it away. Are there briars in your path? Turn aside. That is enough. Do not go on and say “Why were things of this sort ever brought into this world?” neither intolerable nor everlasting – if thou bearest in mind that it has its limits and if thou addest nothing to it in imagination. Pain is either an evil to the body (then let the body say what it thinks of it!)-or to the soul. But it is in the power of the soul to maintain its own serenity

It can ruin your life only if it ruins your character. Otherwise it cannot harm you—inside or out.”

Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn’t matter. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored. Dying…or busy with other assignments. Because dying too is one of our assignments in life. There as well”To do what needs doing.” Look inward. Don’t let the true nature of anything elude you. Before long all existing things will be transformed to rise smoke (assuming all things become one) or be dispersed in fragments…to move from one unselfish act to another

Keep this constantly in mind that all sorts of people have died—all professions all nationalities. Follow the thought all the way down to Philistion Phoebus and Origanion. Now extend it to other species. We have to go there too where all of them have already gone. . . the eloquent and the wise—Heraclitus Pythagoras Socrates . . . . . . the heroes of old the soldiers and kings who followed them . . . . . . Eudoxus Hipparchus Archimedes . . . . . . the smart the generous th

Kindness is invincible.”

Kindness is unconquerable so long as it is without flattery or hypocrisy. For what can the most insolent man do to you if you contrive to be kind to him and if you have the chance gently advise and calmly show him what is right…and point this out tactfully and from a universal perspective. But you must not do this with sarcasm or reproach but lovingly and without anger in your soul.”

Let it happen if it wants to whatever it can happen to. And what’s affected can complain about it if it wants. It doesn’t hurt me unless I interpret its happening as harmful to me. I can choose not to.”

Let no act be done without a purpose nor otherwise than according to the perfect principles of art.”

Let not the future trouble you; for you will come to it if come you must bearing with you the same reason which you are using now to meet the present.”

Let nothing be done rashly and at random but all things according to the most exact and perfect rules of art.”

Let the god that is within you be the champion of the being you are.”

Let the part of your soul that 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 that is all one then you must not strive to resist the sensation for it is naturalbut do not let the ruling part of itself add to the sensat

Letting go all else , cling to the following few truths : 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 .This mortal life is a little thing , lived in a little corner of the earth ; and little ,too,is the longest fame to come –dependent as it is on a succession of fast perishing little men who have no knowledge even of their own selves , much less of one long dead and gone.

Life is a warfare and a stranger’s sojourn and after-fame is oblivion.”

Life is neither good or evil but only a place for good and evil.”

Life is opinion.”  “It is not the actions of others which trouble us (for those actions are controlled by their governing part) but rather it is our own judgments. Therefore remove those judgments and resolve to let go of your anger and it will already be gone. How do you let go? By realizing that such actions are not shameful to you.”

Life is short. That’s all there is to say. Get what you can from the present—thoughtfully justly. Unrestrained moderation.”

Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just then they will not care how devout you have been but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods but unjust then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods then you will be gone but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

Live as though today is your last day.”

Live out your life in and justice tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.”

Look at the inmost causes of things ,stripped of their husks ; note the intentions that underlie actions ; study the essences of pain, pleasure ,death, glory ; observe how man’s disquiet is all of his own making ,and how troubles come never from another’s hand ,but like all else are creatures of our own opinion.

Look at the past—empire succeeding empire—and from that extrapolate the futurethe same thing. No escape from the rhythm of events. Which is why observing life for forty years is as good as a thousand. Would you really see anything new?”

Look back over the past with its changing empires that rose and fell and you can foresee the future too.”

Look beneath the surface; let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee.”

Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.”

Look within. Within is the fountain of good and it will ever bubble up if you will ever dig.”

Love the discipline you know and let it support you. Entrust”

Make for thyself a definition or description of the thing which is presented to thee so as to see distinctly what kind of a thing it is in its substance in its nudity in its complete entirety and tell thyself its proper name and the names of the things of which it has been compounded and into which it will be resolved. For nothing is so productive of elevation of mind as to be able to examine methodically and truly every object which is presented to thee in life and alway

Make for yourself a definition or description of the thing that is presented to you so as to see distinctly what kind of a thing it is in its substance in its nudity in its entirety and tell yourself its proper name and the names of the things of which it has been compounded and into which it will be resolved. For nothing so promotes elevation of mind as the ability to examine methodically and truly every object that is presented to you in life and always to look at thing

Man thou hast been a citizen in this great state [the world]what difference does it make to thee whether for five years [or three]? for that which is conformable to the laws is just for all. Where is the hardship then if no tyrant nor yet an unjust judge sends thee away from the state but nature who brought thee into it? the same as if a praetor who has employed an actor dismisses him from the stage. “But I have not finished the five acts but only three of them.”—Thou s

Man what are you talking about? Me in chains? You may fetter my leg but my will not even Zeus himself can overpower.”

Manage all your actions words and thoughts accordingly since you may at any moment quit life.”

Maximus was my model for self-control fixity of purpose and cheerfulness under ill-health or other misfortunes. His character was an admirable combination of dignity and charm and all the duties of his station were performed quietly and without fuss. He gave everyone the conviction that he spoke as he believed and acted as he judged right. Bewilderment or timidity were unknown to him; he was never hasty never dilatory; nothing found him at a loss. He indulged neither in d

Meditate upon what you ought to be in body and soul when death overtakes you; meditate on the brevity of life and the measureless gulf of eternity behind it and before and upon the frailty of everything material.”

Men exist for the sake of one another.”

Men seek for seclusion in the wilderness by the seashore or in the mountains – a dream you have cherished only too fondly yourself. But such fancies are wholly unworthy of a philosopher since at any moment you choose you can retire within yourself. Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul; above all he who possesses resources in himself which he need only contemplate to secure immediate ease of mind – the ease that is but another word

Men seek retreats for themselves houses in the country sea-shores and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in per

Misfortune nobly born is good fortune.”

Moreover to endure labour; nor to need many things; when I have anything to do to do it myself rather than by others; not to meddle with many businesses; and not easily to admit of any slander.”

My mind. What is it? What am I making of it? What am I using it for? Is it empty of thought? Isolated and torn loose from those around it? Melted into flesh and blended with it so that it shares its urges?”

Nature did not blend things so inextricably that you can’t draw your own boundaries—place your own well-being in your own hands. It’s quite possible to be a good man without anyone realizing it. Remember that. And this tooyou don’t need much to live happily. And just because you’ve abandoned your hopes of becoming a great thinker or scientist don’t give up on attaining freedom achieving humility serving others obeying God.”

Neither must he use himself to cut off actions only but thoughts and imaginations also that are unnecessary for so will unnecessary consequent actions the better be prevented and cut off.”

Neither worse then nor better is a thing made by being praised.”

Never confuse yourself by visions of an entire lifetime at once. That is .do not let your thoughts range over the whole multitude and variety of the misfortunes that may befall you, but rather, as you encounter each one, ask yourself “ what is there unendurable, so insupportable in this?

Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.”

Never forget that the universe is a single living organism possessed of one substance and one soul holding all things suspended in a single consciousness and creating all things with a single purpose that they might work together spinning and weaving and knotting whatever comes to pass.”

Never let the future disturb you – you will meet it with the same weapons of reason and mind that today guard you against the present…”

Never value anything as profitable that compels you to break your promise to lose your self-respect to hate any man to suspect to curse to act the hypocrite to desire anything that needs walls and curtainsfor he who has preferred to everything else his own intelligence and daimon and the worship of its excellence acts no tragic part does not groan will not need either solitude or much company; and what is chief of all he will live without either pursuing or flying from de

Never value the advantages derived from anything involving breach of faith loss of self-respect hatred suspicion or execration of others insincerity or the desire for something which has to be veiled and curtained.”

Never wilt your soul never be just good simple or unpolished. Manifest more then the body that surrounds yourself.”

No carelessness in your actions. No confusion in your words. No imprecision in your thoughts. No retreating into your own soul or trying to escape it. No overactivity. They kill you cut you with knives shower you with curses. And that somehow cuts your mind off from clearness and sanity and self-control and justice? A man standing by a spring of clear sweet water and cursing it. While the fresh water keeps on bubbling up. He can shovel mud into it or dung and the stream w

No difference between here and therethe city that you live in is the world.”

No longer wander at hazard; for neither wilt thou read thy own memoirs nor the acts of the ancient Romans and Hellenes and the selections from books which thou wast reserving for thy old age. Hasten then to the end which thou hast before thee and throwing away idle hopes come to thy own aid if thou carest at all for thyself while it is in thy power.”

No man is happy who does not think himself so.”

No matter what anyone says or does my task is to be good.”

No more roundabout discussions of what makes a good man. Be one!”

No one can lose either the past or the future – how could anyone be deprived of what he does not possess? … It is only the present moment of which either stands to be deprived and if this is all he has he cannot lose what he does not have.”

No one loses any other life than the one he now lives nor does one live any other life than that which he will lose.”

No random actions none not based on underlying principles.”

No thefts of free will reported.”[—Epictetus.]”

Nothing befalls anything which that thing is not naturally made to bear. The same experience befalls another and he is unruffled and remains unharmed; either because he is unaware that it has happened or because he exhibits greatness of soul. Is it not strange that ignorance and complaisance are stronger than wisdom…?”

Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.”

Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.”

Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us when we’re practically showered with them.”

Nothing is more pathetic than people who run around in circles “delving into the things that lie beneath” and conducting investigations into the souls of the people around them never realizing that all you have to do is to be attentive to the power inside you and worship it sincerely. To”

Nothing is more scandalous than a man that is proud of his humility.”

None of us have much time. And yet you act as if things were eternal—the way you fear and long for them.… Before long darkness. And whoever buries you mourned in their turn.”

Not to be offended with other men’s liberty of speech and to apply myself unto philosophy.”

Not to be overwhelmed by what you imagine but just do what you can and should. And”

Not to know what the world is is to be ignorant of where you are. Not to know why it’s here is to be ignorant of who you are. And what it is. Not to know any of this is to be ignorant of why you’re here.”

Not to waste time on nonsense. Not to be taken in by conjurors and hoodoo artists with their talk about incantations and exorcism and all the rest of it. Not to be obsessed with quail-fighting or other crazes that.”

Note that everything that happens happens justly and if you observe carefully you will find it to be so not only with respect to the continuity of the series of things but with respect to what is just as if it were done by one who assigns to each thing its value.”

Nothing that goes on in anyone else’s mind can harm you. Nor can the shifts and changes in the world around you. —Then where is harm to be found? In your capacity to see it. Stop doing that and everything will be fine. Let the part of you that makes that judgment keep quiet even if the body it’s attached to is stabbed or burnt or stinking with pus or consumed by cancer. Or to put it another wayIt needs to realize that what happens to everyone—bad and good a—is neither goo

Now forget what they think of you. Be satisfied if you can live the rest of your life however short as your nature demands. Focus on that and don’t let anything distract you. You’ve wandered all over and finally realized that you never found what you were afterhow to live. Not in syllogisms not in money or fame or self-indulgence. Nowhere.”

Now it is true that these may impede my action but they are no impediments to my affects and disposition which have the power of acting conditionally and changingfor 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 an obstacle on the road helps us along this road.”

Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul”

Nowhere you can go is more peaceful—more free of interruptions—than your own soul. Especially”

Objective judgment now at this very moment. Unselfish action now at this very moment. Willing acceptance—now at this very moment—of all external events. That’s all you need.”

Observe always that everything is the result of change and get used to thinking that there is nothing Nature loves so well as to change existing forms and make new ones them.”

Observe in short how transient and trivial is all mortal life; yesterday a drop of semen tomorrow a handful of spice or ashes. Spend therefore these fleeting moments of earth as Nature would have you spend them and then go to your rest with a good grace as an olive falls in its season with a blessing for the earth.”

Observe the movements of the stars as if you were running their courses with them and let your mind constantly dwell on the changes of the elements into each other. Such imaginings wash away the filth of life on the ground.”

Occupy thyself with few things says the philosopher if thou wouldst be tranquil.-”

Of all existing things some are in our power and others are not in our power.”

Or is it your reputation that’s bothering you? But look at how soon we’re all forgotten. The abyss of endless time that swallows it all. The emptiness of those applauding hands. The people who praise us; how capricious they are how arbitrary. And the tiny region it takes place. The whole earth a point in space – and most of it uninhabited.”

Our actions may be impeded…  But there can be no impeding our intentions or our dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impeding to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

Our inward power when it obeys nature reacts to events by accommodating itself to what it faces – to what is possible. It needs no specific material. It pursues its own aims as circumstances allow; it turns obstacles into fuel. As a fire overwhelms what would have quenched a lamp. What’s thrown on top of the conflagration is absorbed consumed by it – and makes it burn still higher.”

Our life is what our thoughts make it.”

Our own worth is measured by what we devote our energy to.”

Our thoughts is what our life make it”

Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature and end thy journey in content just as an olive falls off when it is ripe blessing nature who produced it and thanking the tree on which it grew.”

People ask “Have you ever seen the gods you worship? How can you be sure they exist?” Answersi. Just look around you. ii. I’ve never seen my soul either. And yet I revere it. That’s how I know the gods exist and why I revere them—from having felt their power over and over.”

People out for posthumous fame forget that the Generations To Come will be the same annoying people they know now.”

People try to get away from it all—to the country to the beach to the mountains. You always wish that you could too. Which is idioticyou can get away from it anytime you . By going within. Nowhere you can go is more peaceful—more free of interruptions—than your own soul.”

People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time—even when hard at work.”

Perfection of characterto live your last day every day without frenzy or sloth or pretense.”

Practice really hearing what people say. Do your best to get inside their minds.”

Praise does not make anything better or worse.”

Pride is a master of deceptionwhen you think you’re occupied in the weightiest business that’s when he has you in his spell.”

Real good luck would be to abandon life without ever encountering dishonesty or hypocrisy or self-indulgence or pride. But the “next best voyage” is to die when you’ve had enough. Or are you determined to lie down with evil? Hasn’t experience even taught you that—to avoid it the plague? Because it is a plague—a mental cancer—worse than anything caused by tainted air or an unhealthy climate. Diseases that can only threaten your life; this one attacks your humanity.”

Receive without conceit release without struggle.”

Regain your senses call yourself back and once again wake up. Now that you realize that only dreams were troubling you view this ‘reality’ as you view your dreams.”

Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”

Remember how long thou hast already put off these things and how often a certain day and hour as it were having been set unto thee by the gods thou hast neglected it.”

Remember how long you have been putting off these things and how often you have received an opportunity from the gods and yet do not use it.”

Remember how long you have procrastinated and how consistently you have failed to put to good use you suspended sentence from the gods. It is about time you realized the nature of the universe (of which you are part) and of the pwoer that rules it (to which your art owes its existence). Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not the sun will soon set and you with it. (II.)”  motivation

Remember how long you’ve been putting this off how many extensions the gods gave you and you didn’t use them. At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong to; what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned you and if you don’t use it to free yourself it will be gone and will never return.”

Remember how long you’ve been putting this off how many extensions the gods gave you and you didn’t use them. At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong to; what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned to you and if you don’t use it to free yourself it will be gone and will never return.”

Remember however that you are formed by nature to bear everything whose tolerability depends on your own opinion to make it so by thinking that it is in your interest or duty to do so.”

Remember philosophy requires only what your nature already demands.”

Remember that our efforts are subject to circumstances; you weren’t aiming to do the impossible. —Aiming to do what then? To try. And you succeeded. What you set out to do is accomplished.”

Remember this that very little is needed to make a happy life.”

RememberMatter. How tiny your share of it. Time. How brief and fleeting your allotment of it. Fate. How small a role you play in it.”

Retire into thyself. The rational principle which rules has this nature that it is content with itself when it does what is just and so secures tranquility.”

Reverence that which is best in the universe; and this is that which makes use of all things and directs all things. And in 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.”

Reverence the sovereign power over things in the Universe; this is what uses all and marshals all. In manner too reverence the sovereign power in yourself; and this is of one kind with that. For in you also this is what uses the rest and your manner of living is governed by this.”

Salvationto see each thing for what it is— its nature and its purpose. To do only what is right say only what is true without holding back. What else could it be but to live life fully— to pay out goodness the rings of a chain without the slightest gap.”

Since it is possible that you might depart from life this very moment regulate every act and thought accordingly.”

Sixth consider when thou art much vexed or grieved that man’s life is only a moment and after a short time we are all laid out dead.”

So here is a rule to remember in future when anything tempts you to feel bitternot ‘This is a misfortune’ but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.”

So other people hurt me? That’s their problem. Their character and actions are not mine. What”

So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you painthe thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.”

So there are two reasons to embrace what happens. One is that it’s happening to you. It was prescribed for you and it pertains to you. The thread was spun long ago by the oldest cause of all. The other reason is that what happens to an individual is a cause of well-being in what directs the world—of its well-being its fulfillment of its very existence even. Because the whole is damaged if you cut away anything—anything at all—from its continuity and its coherence. Not onl

So you know how things stand. Now forget what they think of you. Be satisfied if you can live the rest of your life however short as your nature demands. Focus on that and don’t let anything distract you. You’ve wandered all over and finally realized that you never found what you were after how to live. Not in syllogisms not in money or fame or self-indulgence. Nowhere.”

Some men when they do you a kindness at once demand the payment of gratitude from you; others are more modest than this. However they remember the favor and look upon you as their debtor in a manner. A third sort shall scarce know what they have done. These are much a vine which is satisfied by being fruitful in its kind and bears a bunch of grapes without expecting any thanks for it. A fleet horse or greyhound do not make a noise when they have done well nor a bee neithe

Some people when they do someone a favor are always looking for a chance to call it in. And some aren’t but they’re still aware of it—still regard it as a debt. But others don’t even do that. They’re a vine that produces grapes without looking for anything in return. A horse at the end of the race . . . A dog when the hunt is over . . . A bee with its honey stored . . . And a human being after helping others. They don’t make a fuss about it. They just go on to something e

Some things are hurrying into existence and others are hurrying out of it and of that which is coming into existence part is already extinguished. In this flowing stream then on which there is no abiding what is there of things which hurry on by on which a man would set a high price. It would be just as if a man should fall in love with one of the sparrows which fly by but has already passed out of sight.”

Soon you’ll be ashes or bones. A mere name at most—and even that is just a sound an echo. The things we want in life are empty stale and trivial. Dogs snarling at each other. Quarreling children—laughing and then bursting into tears a moment later. Trust shame justice —“gone from the earth and only found in heaven.” Why are you still here? Sensory objects are shifting and unstable; our senses dim and easily deceived; the soul itself a decoction of the blood; fame in a wor

Stoics held that material objects alone existed; but immanent in the material universe was a spiritual force which acted through them manifesting itself under many forms as fire aether spirit soul reason the ruling principle.”

Stop allowing your mind to be a slave to be jerked about by selfish impulses to kick against fate and the present and to mistrust the future.”

Stop drifting. You’re not going to re-read your Brief Comments your Deeds of the Ancient Greeks and Romans the commonplace books you saved for your old age. Sprint for the finish. Write off your hopes and if your well-being matters to you be your own savior while you can.”

Stop talking about what the good man is and just be one.”

Stop whatever you’re doing for a moment and ask yourselfAm I afraid of death because I won’t be able to do this anymore?”

Stupidity is expecting figs in winter or children in old age.”

Such as are your habitual thoughts such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.”

Such as you are your habitual thoughts such also will be the character of your mind; for your soul is dyed through the thoughts.”~”

Surely it is an excellent plan when you are seated before delicacies and choice foods to impress upon your imagination that this is the dead body of a fish that the dead body of a bird or a pig; and again that the Falernian wine is grape juice and that robe of purple a lamb’s fleece dipped in a shellfish’s blood; and in matters of sex intercourse that it is the attrition of an entrail and a convulsive expulsion of a mere mucus. Surely these are excellent imaginations goin

Swiftly the remembrance of all things is buried in the gulf of eternity.”

 

Take away thy opinion and then there is taken away the complaint “I have been harmed.” Take away the complaint “I have been harmed” and the harm is taken away.   That which does not make a man worse than he was also does not make his life worse nor does it harm him either from without or from within.”

Take full account of what Excellencies you possess and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them if you had them not.”

Take the shortest route the one that nature planned—to speak and act in the healthiest way. Do that and be free of pain and stress free of all calculation and pretension.”

That all is as thinking makes it so – and you control your thinking. So remove your judgements whenever you wish and then there is calm – as the sailor rounding the cape finds smooth water and the welcome of a waveless bay.”

That it’s not what they do that bothers usthat’s a problem for their minds not ours. It’s our own misperceptions. Discard them. Be willing to give up thinking of this as a catastrophe . . . and your anger is gone. How do you do that? By recognizing that you’ve suffered no disgrace. Unless disgrace is the only thing that can hurt you you’re doomed to commit innumerable offenses—to become a thief or heaven only knows what else.”

That kindness is invincible provided it’s sincere—not ironic or an act. What can even the most vicious person do if you keep treating him with kindness and gently set him straight—if you get the chance—correcting him cheerfully at the exact moment that he’s trying to do you harm. “No no my friend. That isn’t what we’re here for. It isn’t me who’s harmed by that. It’s you.” And show him gently and without pointing fingers that it’s so. That bees don’t behave this—or any ot

That to expect bad people not to injure others is crazy. It’s to ask the impossible. And to let them behave that to other people but expect them to exempt you is arrogant–the act of a tyrant.”

That whenever I felt helping someone who was short of money or otherwise in need I never had to be told that I had no resources to do it with. And that I was never put in that position myself—of having to take something from someone else.”

That which has died falls not out of the universe. If it stays here it also changes here and is dissolved into its proper parts which are elements of the universe and of thyself. And these too change and they murmur not”.”

That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bee.”

That which is really beautiful has no need of anything; not more than law not more than not more than benevolence or modesty.”

That which rules within when it is according to nature will always adapt itself easily to that which is possible and is presented to it. For it requires no definite material in moving toward its purpose but rather certain conditions; and it makes a material for itself out of that which opposes it as a great fire lays hold of a mass that would have extinguished a tiny flamewhen the fire is strong it soon appropriates to itself the matter that is heaped on it and consumes i

That you don’t know for sure it is a mistake. A lot of things are means to some other end. You have to know an awful lot before you can judge other people’s actions with real understanding.”

The and un of the rational social animal depends not on what he feels but on what he does; just as his virtue and vice consist not in feeling but in doing.”

The art of living is more wrestling than dancing in so far as it stands ready against the accidental and the unforeseen and is not apt to fall.”

The best revenge is not to be your enemy.”

The best revenge is not to do as they do.”

The blazing fire makes flames and brightness out of everything thrown into it.”

The body and its parts are a river the soul a dream and mist life is warfare and a journey far from home lasting reputation is oblivion.”

The despicable phoniness of people who say “Listen I’m going to level with you here.” What does that mean? It shouldn’t even need to be said. It should be obvious—written in block letters on your forehead. It should be audible in your voice visible in your eyes a lover who looks into your face and takes in the whole story at a glance. A straightforward honest person should be someone who stinkswhen you’re in the same room with him you know it. But false straightforwardnes

The earth saith the poet doth often long after the rain. So is the glorious sky often as desirous to fall upon the earth which argues a mutual kind of love between them.”

The end and object of a rational constitution is to do nothing rashly to be kindly affected towards men and in all things willingly to submit unto the gods. Casting therefore all other things aside keep thyself to these few and remember withal that no man properly can be said to live more than that which is now present which is but a moment of time.”

The existence of evil does not harm the world. And an individual act of evil does not harm the victim. Only one person is harmed by it—and he can stop being harmed as soon as he decides to.”

The fencer’s weapon is picked up and put down again. The boxer’s is part of him. All he has to do is clench his fist.”

The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.”

The first stepDon’t be anxious. Nature controls it all. And before long you’ll be no one nowhere— Hadrian Augustus. The second stepConcentrate on what you have to do. Fix your eyes on it. Remind yourself that your task is to be a good human being; remind yourself what nature demands of people. Then do it without hesitation and speak the as you see it. But with kindness. With humility. Without hypocrisy.”  “Not to assume it’s impossible because you find it hard. But to rec

The fraction of infinity of that vast abyss of time allotted to each of us. Absorbed in an instant into eternity. The fraction of all substance and all spirit. The fraction of the whole earth you crawl about on. Keep all that in mind and don’t treat anything as important except doing what your nature demands and accepting what Nature sends you.”

The gods either have power or they have not. If they have not why pray to them? If they have then instead of praying to be granted or spared such-and-such a thing why not rather pray to be delivered from dreading it or lusting for it or grieving over it? Clearly if they can help

The honest and good man ought to be exactly a man who smells strong so that the bystander as soon as he comes near him must smell whether he choose or not.”

The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

The logos gave you the means to see it—that a given person would act a given way—but you paid no attention. And now you’re astonished that he’s gone and done it. So when you call someone “untrustworthy” or “ungrateful” turn the reproach on yourself. It was you who did wrong.”

The man of ambition thinks to find his good in the operations of others; the man of pleasure in his own sensations; but the man of understanding in his own actions.”

The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.”

The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way. .”

The mind is that which is roused and directed by itself. It makes of itself what it chooses. It makes what it chooses of its own experience.”

The mind is the ruler of the soul. It should remain unstirred by agitations of the flesh—gentle and violent ones a. Not mingling with them but fencing itself off and keeping those feelings in their place. When they make their way into your thoughts through the sympathetic link between mind and body don’t try to resist the sensation. The sensation is natural. But don’t let the mind start in with judgments calling it “good” or “bad.”

The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”

The of those who want to be popular depends on others; the of those who seek pleasure fluctuates with moods outside their control; but the of the wise grows out of their own free acts.”

The of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts therefore guard accordingly and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”

The of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts; therefore guard accordingly.”

The offender needs pity not wrath; those who must needs be corrected should be treated with tact and gentleness; and one must be always ready to learn better. ‘The best kind of revenge is not to become unto them.”

The pomps and glories which he despised were all his; what to most men is an ambition or a dream to him was a round of weary tasks which nothing but the stern sense of duty could carry him through. And he did his work well.”

The present is all that they can give up since that is all you have and what you do not have you cannot lose.”

The present moment is the only thing of which anyone can be deprived at least if this is the only thing he has and he cannot lose what he has not got.”

The pride which is proud of want of pride is the most intolerable of all.”

The ruler must be a philosopher as well as a king; and he must govern unwillingly because he loves philosophy better than dominion.”

The second discipline that of action relates to our relationship with other people. Human beings for . as for the Stoics generally are social animals a point he makes often (e.g. . . .). All human beings possess not only a share of the logos but also the ability to use it (that is what makes us human and distinguishes us from other animals). But it would perhaps be more accurate to say that we are participants in the logos which is as much a process as a substance. . hims

The sexual embrace can only be compared with music and with prayer.”

The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts.”

The soul of a man harms itself first and foremost when it becomes (as far as it can) a separate growth a sort of tumour on the universe; because to resent anything that happens is to separate oneself in revolt from Nature which holds in collective embrace the particular natures of all other things.”

The soul of man is thus an emanation from the godhead into whom it will eventually be re-absorbed. The divine ruling principle makes all things work together for good but for the good of the whole. The highest good of man is consciously to work with God for the common good and this is the sense in which the Stoic tried to live in accord with nature. In the individual it is virtue alone which enables him to do this; as Providence rules the universe so virtue in the soul mu

The Stoic discovers the model for his virtuous conduct in studying the laws of nature; just as each object plant and animal serves its fated role in the larger order so the human strives to steer his actions in accordance with his unique power reason his inner mirror of the logos that governs the universe.”

The Stoic makes no differentiation between a small act of kindness by a simple person and a great act of virtue from a learned sage. Virtue is virtue and in both cases the result is for the one who is virtuous.”

The student as boxer not fencer. The fencer’s weapon is picked up and put down again. The boxer’s is part of him. All he has to do is clench his fist.”

The substance of the universe is obedient and compliant; and the reason that governs it has in itself no cause for doing evil for it has no malice nor does it do evil to anything nor is anything harmed by it. But all things are made and perfected according to this reason.”

The thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.”

The things ordained for you—teach yourself to be at one with those. And the people who share them with you—treat them with love. With real love.”

The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.”

The third discipline the discipline of will is in a sense the counterpart to the second the discipline of action. The latter governs our approach to the things in our control those that we do; the discipline of will governs our attitude to things that are not within our control those that we have done to us (by others or by nature). We control our own actions and are responsible for them. If we act wrongly then we have done serious harm to ourselves (though not it should

The time is at hand when you will have forgotten everything; and the time is at hand when all will have forgotten you. Always reflect that soon you will be no one and nowhere.”

The time of a man’s life is as a point; the substance of it ever flowing the sense obscure; and the whole composition of the body tending to corruption. His soul is restless fortune uncertain and fame doubtful; to be brief as a stream so are all things belonging to the body; as a dream or as a smoke so are all that belong unto the soul. Our life is a warfare and a mere pilgrimage. Fame after life is no better than oblivion. What is it then that will adhere and follow? Onl

The time of a man’s life is as a point; the substance of it ever flowing the sense obscure; and the whole composition of the body tending to corruption. His soul is restless fortune uncertain and fame doubtful; to be brief as a stream so are all things belonging to the body; as a dream or as a smoke so are all that belong unto the soul. Our life is a warfare and a mere pilgrimage. Fame after life is no better than oblivion. What is it then that will adhere and follow? Onl

The tranquillity that comes when you stop caring what they say. Or think or do. Only what you do. (Is this fair? Is this the right thing to do?) < . . . > not to be distracted by their darkness. To run straight for the finish line unswerving.”

The universe is change and life mere opinion”

The universe is change; life is your perception of it.”

The universe then is God of whom the popular gods are manifestations; while legends and myths are allegorical. The soul of man is thus an emanation from the godhead into whom it will eventually be re-absorbed.”

Then consider the Middle (and later the New) Comedy and what it aimed at—gradually degenerating into mere realism and empty technique.”

Then where is harm to be found? In your capacity to see it. Stop doing that and everything will be fine.”

There is a kind of river of things passing into being and Time is a violent torrent. For no sooner is each seen than it has been carried away and another is being carried by and that too will be carried away.”

There is no man so blessed that some who stand by his deathbed won’t hail the occasion with delight.”

There is nothing more shameful than perfidious friendship.”

There’s nothing more insufferable than people who boast about their own humility”

These things thou must always have in mindWhat is the nature of the universe and what is mine—in particularThis unto that what relation it hathwhat kind of part of what kind of universe it isAnd that there is nobody that can hinder thee but that thou mayest always both do and speak those things which are agreeable to that nature whereof thou art a part.”

They despise one another yet they flatter one another;they sant to get above another and get they bow down to one another.”

They seek for themselves private retiring places as country villages the sea-shore mountains; yea thou thyself art wont to long much after such places. But all this thou must know proceeds from simplicity in the highest degree. At what time soever thou wilt it is in thy power to retire into thyself and to be at rest and free from all businesses. A man cannot any whither retire better than to his own soul; he especially who is beforehand provided of such things within whic

Think continually how many physicians have died after often knitting their foreheads over their patients; how many astrologers after prophesying other men’s deaths as though to die were a great matter; how many philosophers after endless debate on death or survival after death; how many paladins after slaying their thousands; how many tyrants after using their power over men’s lives with monstrous arrogance as if themselves immortal; how many entire cities have if I may u

Think let us say of the times of Vespasian; and what do you see? Men and women busy marrying bringing up children sickening dying fighting feasting chaffering farming flattering bragging envying scheming calling down curses grumbling at fate loving hoarding coveting thrones and dignities. Of all that life not a trace survives today. Or come forward to the days of Trajan; again it is the same; that life too has perished. Take a similar look at the records of other past age

Think of the universal substance of which thou has 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”

Think of your many years of procrastination; how the gods have repeatedly granted you further periods of grace of which you have taken no advantage. It is time now to realise the nature of the universe to which you belong and of that controlling Power whose offspring you are; and to understand that your time has a limit set to it. Use it then to advance your enlightenment; or it will be gone and never in your power again.”

Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly. What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness.”

Think often the connection of all things in the world and their mutual relations they are arguably intertwined with each other and thus have for each other a mutual friendship and that under the connection that leads him and the unity of matter”

This thing what is it in itself in its own constitution? What is its substance and material?”

This thou must always bear in mind what is the nature of the whole and what is my nature and how this is related to that and what kind of a part it is of what kind of a whole; and that there is no one who hinders thee from always doing and saying the things which are according to the nature of which thou art a part.”

This world is mere change and this life opinion.”

This you must always bear in mind what is the nature of the whole and what is my nature and how this is related to that and what kind of a part it is of what kind of a whole; and that there is no one who hinders you from always doing and saying the things that conform to the nature of which you are a part.”

Thou art a little soul bearing about a corpse”

Thou sayest Men cannot admire the sharpness of thy wits.—Be it sobut there are many other things of which thou canst not say I am not formed from them by nature. Show those qualities then which are altogether in thy power sincerity gravity endurance of labor aversion to pleasure

Though thou shouldst be going to live three thousand years and as many times ten thousand years still remember that no man loses any other life than this which he now lives nor lives any other than this which he now loses. The longest and shortest are thus brought to the same. For the present is the same to all though that which perishes is not the same; and so that which is lost appears to be a mere moment.”

Though you break your heart men will go on as before.”

Thus the Stoics arrive at their main thesis. Virtue alone is admirable virtue is absolutely self-sufficient; the good man needs no help from circumstances neither sickness nor adversity can harm him; he is a king a god among men.”

Thus there are two reasons why you must be content with what happens to you first because it was for you it came to pass for you it was ordered and to you it was related a thread of destiny stretching back to the most ancient causes; secondly because that which has come to each individually is a cause of the welfare and the completion in very of the actual continuance of that which governs the Whole.”

Time is a river made up of the events which happen and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen it is carried away and another comes in its place and this will be carried away too.”

To be angry at something means you’ve forgottenThat everything that happens is natural. That the responsibility is theirs not yours. And further . . . That whatever happens has always happened and always will and is happening at this very moment everywhere. Just this. What links one human being to all humansnot blood or birth but mind. And . . . That an individual’s mind is God and of God. That nothing belongs to anyone. Children body life itself—all of them come from tha

To be cheerful and to stand in no need either of other men’s help or attendance or of that rest and tranquillity which thou must be beholding to others for. Rather one that is straight of himself or hath ever been straight than one that hath been rectified.”

To be the rock that the waves keep crashing over. It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it. a. —It’s unfortunate that this has happened. No. It’s fortunate that this has happened and I’ve remained unharmed by it—not shattered by the present or frightened of the future. It could have happened to anyone. But not everyone could have remained unharmed by it. Why treat the one as a misfortune rather than the other as fortunate? Can you really call some

To enter others’ minds and let them enter yours.”

To feel affection for people even when they make mistakes is uniquely human. You can do it if you simply recognizethat they’re human too that they act out of ignorance against their will and that you’ll both be dead before long. And above all that they haven’t really hurt you. They haven’t diminished your ability to choose.”

To live a good lifeWe have the potential for it. If we can learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference. This is how we learnby looking at each thing both the parts and the whole. Keeping in mind that none of them can dictate how we perceive it. They don’t impose themselves on us. They hover before us unmoving. It is we who generate the judgments—inscribing them on ourselves. And we don’t have to. We could leave the page blank—and if a mark slips through erase it i

To live happily is an inward power of the soul.”

To love only what happens what was destined. No greater harmony.”

To pass through this brief life as nature demands. To give it up without complaint. an olive that ripens and falls. Praising its mother thanking the tree it grew on.”

To pursue the impossible is madnessbut it is impossible for evil men not to do things of this sort.”

To pursue the unattainable is insanity yet the thoughtless can never refrain from doing so.”

To read with diligence; not to rest satisfied with a light and superficial knowledge nor quickly to assent to things commonly spoken”

To refrain from imitation is the best revenge.”

To suffer change can be no hurt; as no benefit it is by change to attain to being. The age and time of the world is as it were a flood and swift current consisting of the things that are brought to pass in the world. For as soon as anything hath appeared and is passed away another succeeds and that also will presently out of sight.”

To the best of my judgment when I look at the human character I see no virtue placed there to counter justice. But I see one to counter pleasureself-control.”

To the gods I am indebted for having good grandfathers good parents a good sister good teachers good associates good kinsmen and friends nearly everything good. Further I owe it to the gods that I was not hurried into any offence against any of them though I had a disposition which if opportunity had offered might have led me to do something of this kind; but through their favour there never was such a concurrence of circumstances as put me to the trial.”

To undertake nothingi. at random or without a purpose; ii. for any reason but the common good.”

Today I escaped all circumstance or rather I cast out all circumstance for it was not outside me but within my judgements.”

Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no I discarded it because it was within me in my own perceptions—not outside.”

Today 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.”

Tranquillity is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind.”

Treat what you don’t have as nonexistent. Look at what you have the things you value most and think of how much you’d crave them if you didn’t have them. But be careful. Don’t feel such satisfaction that you start to overvalue them —that it would upset you to lose them.”

True understanding is to see the events of life in this way’You are here for my benefit though rumor paints you otherwise.’ And everything is turned to one’s advantage when he greets a situation thisYou are the very thing I was looking for. Truly whatever arises in life is the right material to bring about your growth and the growth of those around you. This in a word is art– and this art called ‘life’ is a practice suitable to both men and gods. Everything contains some

Truly a rare opportunity was given to of what the mind can do in despite of circumstances. Most peaceful of warriors a magnificent monarch whose ideal was quiet in home life bent to obscurity yet born to greatness the loving father of children who died young or turned out hateful his life was one paradox. That nothing might lack it was in camp before the face of the enemy that he passed away and went to his own place.”

Try how the life of the good man suits thee the life of him who is satisfied with his portion out of the whole and satisfied with his own just acts and benevolent disposition.”

Unhappy am I because this has happened to me.- Not so but happy am I though this has happened to me because I continue free from pain neither crushed by the present nor fearing the future.”

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.”

Waste no more time arguing that a good man should be. Be one.”

We are the other of the other”

We must make haste then not only because we are daily nearer to death but also because the conception of things and the understanding of them cease first.”

We ought to consider not only that our life is daily wasting away and a smaller part of it is left but also that if a man should live longer it is quite uncertain whether the understanding will still continue sufficient for the comprehension of things and retain the power of contemplation that strives to acquire the knowledge of the divine and the human. For if he shall begin to fall into dotage perspiration and nutrition and imagination and appetite and whatever else the

We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs or a bee makes honey or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne.”

We should remark the grace and fascination that there is even in the incidentals of Nature’s processes.. When a loaf of bread. for instance. is in the oven. crack appear in it here and there; and these flaws. though not intended in the baking. have a rightness of their own. and sharpen the appetite..”

We speak of the sun’s light as “pouring down on us” as “pouring over us” in all directions. Yet it’s never poured out. Because it doesn’t really pour; it extends. Its beams (aktai) get their name from their extension (ekteinesthai). To see the nature of a sunbeam look at light as it falls through a narrow opening into a dark room. It extends in a straight line striking any solid object that stands in its way and blocks the space beyond it. There it remains—not vanishing o

We were made . tells us over and over not for ourselves but for others and our nature is fundamentally unselfish. In our relationships with others we must work for their collective good while treating them justly and fairly as individuals.”

Well then shall mere glory distract you? Look at the swiftness of the oblivion of all men; the gulf of endless time behind and before; the hollowness of applause the fickleness and folly of those who seem to speak well of you and the narrow room in which it is confined. This should make you pause. For the entire earth is a point in space and how small a corner thereof is this your dwelling place and how few and how paltry those who will sing your praises here!”

Were you to live three thousand years or even thirty thousand remember that the sole life which a man can lose is that which he is living at the moment; and furthermore that he can have no other life except the one he loses.”

What am I but a little flesh a little breath and the thinking part that rules the whole?”

What am I doing with my soul? Interrogate yourself to find out what inhabits your so-called mind and what kind of soul you have now. A child’s soul an adolescent’s a woman’s? A tyrant’s soul? The soul of a predator—or its prey?”

What else did you expect from helping someone out? Isn’t it enough that you’ve done what your nature demands? You want a salary for it too? As if your eyes expected a reward for seeing or your feet for walking. That’s what they were made for.”

What is divine deserves our respect because it is good; what is human deserves our affection because it is us.”

What is the best that can be said or done with the materials at your disposal? Be it what it may ,you have the power to say it or do it ; let there be no pretence that you are not a free agent.

What is this fundamentally? What is its nature and substance its reason for being? What is it doing in the world? How long is it here for?”

What man can you show me who places any value on his time who reckons the worth of each day who understands that he is dying daily? For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed. Whatever years be behind us are in death’s hands.”

What need of prompt or hint when it is open to yourself to discern what needs to be done – and if you can see your way to follow it with kind but undeviating intent. If you cannot see the way hold back and consult your best advisors. if some other factors obstruct this advice proceed on your present resources but with cautious deliberations keeping always to what seems just. Justice is the best aim as any failure is in fact a failure of justice

What we cannot bear removes us from life; what remains can be borne.”

What we do now echoes in eternity.”

Whatever anyone does or says I must be emerald and keep my colour.”

Whatever happens at all happens as it should; you will find this true if you watch narrowly.”

Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of time. The twining strands of fate wove both of them togetheryour own existence and the things that happen to you”

Whatever is in any way beautiful hath its source of beauty in itself and is complete in itself; praise forms no part of it. So it is none the worse nor the better for being praised.”

Whatever may happen to you it was prepared for you from all eternity; and the implication of causes was from eternity spinning the thread of your being and of that which is incident to it.”

Whatever this is that I am it is a little flesh and breath and the ruling part. Throw away thy books; no longer distract thyselfit is not allowed; but as if thou wast now dying despise the flesh; it is blood and bones and a network a contexture of nerves veins and arteries. See the breath also what kind of a thing it is air and not always the same but every moment sent out and again sucked in. The third then is the ruling partconsider thusThou art an old man; no longer le

Whatever this is that I am it is flesh and a little spirit and an intelligence. Throw away your books; stop letting yourself be distracted. That is not allowed. Instead as if you were dying right now despise your flesh. A mess of blood pieces of bone a woven tangle of nerves veins arteries. Consider what the spirit isair and never the same air but vomited out and gulped in again every instant. Finally the intelligence. Think of it this wayYou are an old man. Stop allowing

Whatever time you choose is the right time. Not late not early.”

When another blames you or hates you or people voice similar criticisms go to their souls penetrate inside and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that there is no need to be racked with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion about you.”

When force of circumstance upsets your equanimity lose no time in recovering your self-control and do not remain out of tune longer than you can help. Habitual recurrence to the harmony will increase your mastery of it.”

When men are inhuman take care not to feel towards them as they do towards other humans.”

When people injure you ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that you’ll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger. Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs or near it in which case you have to excuse them. Or your sense of good and evil may differ from theirs. In which case they’re misguided and deserve your compassion. Is that so hard?”

When people treat you ill blame your conduct or report anything to your disadvantage enter into the very soul of them ; examine their understandings and see of what nature they are. You will be fully convinced that the opinion of such mortals is not worth one troublesome thought. However you must be kind to them for nature has made them your relations. Besides the gods give them all sort of countenance warn them by dreams and prophecy and help them to those things they ha

When someone seems to have injured youBut how can I be sure? And in any case keep in mind• that he’s already been tried and convicted—by himself. ( scratching your own eyes out.) • that to expect a bad person not to harm others is expecting fig trees not to secrete juice babies not to cry horses not to neigh—the inevitable not to happen. What else could they do—with that sort of character? If you’re still angry then get to work on that.”

When the longest- and shortest-lived of us dies their loss is precisely equal. For the sole thing of which any of us can be deprived is the present since this is all we own and nobody can lose what is not theirs.”

When Theophrastus is comparing sins – so far as they are commonly acknowledged to be comparable – he affirms the philosophic that sins of desire are more culpable than sins of passion. For passion’s revulsion from reason at least seems to bring with it a certain discomfort and a half-felt sense of constraint; whereas sins of desire in which pleasure predominates indicate a more self-indulgent and womanish disposition. Both experience and philosophy then support the conten

When you are offended at any man’s fault immediately turn to yourself and reflect in what manner you yourself have erred:”

When you arise in the moring think of what a precious privelege it is to be alive– to breathe to think to enjoy to love”

When you deal with irrational animals with things and circumstances be generous and straightforward. You are rational; they are not.”

When you have done a good act and another has received it why do you look for a third thing besides these as fools do either to have the reputation of having done a good act or to obtain a return?”

When you need encouragement think of the qualities the people around you have this one’s energy that one’s modesty another’s generosity and so on. Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us when we’re practically showered with them. It’s good to keep this in mind.”

When you run up against someone else’s shamelessness ask yourself thisIs a world without shamelessness possible? No. Then don’t ask the impossible. There have to be shameless people in the world. This is one of them. The same for someone vicious or untrustworthy or with any other defect. Remembering that the whole class has to exist will make you more tolerant of its members. Another useful point to bear in mindWhat qualities has nature given us to counter that defect? As

When you start to lose your temper rememberThere’s nothing manly about rage. It’s courtesy and kindness that define a human being—and a man. That’s who possesses strength and nerves and guts not the angry whiners. To react that brings you closer to impassivity—and so to strength. Pain is the opposite of strength and so is anger. Both are things we suffer from and yield to.”

When you wake up in the morning tell yourselfThe people I deal with today will be meddling ungrateful arrogant dishonest jealous and surly. They are this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good and the ugliness of evil and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own—not of the same blood or birth but the same mind and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me.

Whenever you are about to find fault with someone ask yourself the following question. What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?”

Whenever you want to cheer yourself up consider the good qualities of your companions for example the energy of one the modesty of another the generosity of yet another and some other quality of another; for nothing cheers the heart as much as the images of excellence reflected in the character of our companions all brought before us as fully as possible. Therefore keep these images ready at hand.”

Whether you are shivering with cold or too hot sleepy or wide awake spoken well of or badly dying or doing anything else do not let it interfere with doing what is right. For whatever causes us to die is also one of life’s processes. Even for this nothing is required of us than to accomplish well the task at hand.”

Which is recorded of Socrates that he was able both to abstain from and to enjoy those things which many are too weak to abstain from and cannot enjoy without excess. But to be strong enough both to bear the one and to be sober in the other is the mark of a man who has a perfect and invincible soul.”

Whoever does wrong wrongs himself; whoever does injustice does it to himself making himself evil.”

Why doth a little thing said or done against thee make thee sorry? It is no new thing; it is not the first nor shall it be the last if thou live long. At best suffer patiently if thou canst not suffer joyously.”

Why should any of these things that happen externally so much distract thee? Give thyself leisure to learn some good thing and cease roving and wandering to and fro. Thou must also take heed of another kind of wandering for they are idle in their actions who toil and labour in this life and have no certain scope to which to direct all their motions and desires.”

Will any man despise me? Let him see to it. But I will see to it that I may not be found doing or saying anything that deserves to be despised.”

Wilt thou then my soul never be good and simple and one and naked more manifest than the body which surrounds thee?”

Within ten days you will seem a god to those to whom you are now a beast and an ape if you will return to your principles and the worship of reason.”

Work done with anxiety about results is far inferior to work done without such anxiety in the calm of self surrender.”

Wretched am I says one that this has befallen me. Nay say you happy I who tho’ this has befallen me can still remain without sorrow neither broken by the present nor dreading the future. The might have befallen any one; but every one could not have remained thus undejected. Why should the event be called a misfortune rather than this strength of mind a felicity? But can you call that a misfortune to a man which does not frustrate the intention of his nature? Can that frus

Yes keep on degrading yourself soul. But soon your chance at dignity will be gone. Everyone gets one life. Yours is almost used up and instead of treating yourself with respect you have entrusted your own to the souls of others.”

You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”

You are a little soul carrying about a corpse as Epictetus used to say.”

You can discard most of the junk that clutters your mind—things that exist only there—and clear out space for yourself. . . by comprehending the scale of the world . . . by contemplating infinite time . . . by thinking of the speed with which things change—each part of every thing; the narrow space between our birth and death; the infinite time before; the equally unbounded time that follows.”

You have embarked made the voyage and come to shore; get out. If indeed to another life there is no want of gods not even there. But if to a state without sensation you will cease to be held by pains and pleasures and to be a slave to the vessel which is as much inferior as that which serves it is superiorfor the one is intelligence and deity; the other is earth and corruption.”

You have grown beyond supposing such actions to be either good or bad and therefore it will be so much the easier to be tolerant of another’s blindness.”

You have no assurance that they are doing wrong at all for the motives of man’s actions are not always what they seem. There is generally much to learn before any judgement can be pronounced with certainty on another’s doings.”

You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.  Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it if you have to with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together but do so

You have seen those things look now at these do not trouble yourself make yourself simple. Does a man do wrong? He does wrong to himself. Has some chance befallen you? It is well; from Universal Nature from the beginning all that befalls was determined for you and the thread was spun. The sum of the matter is this life is short; the present must be turned to profit with reasonableness and right. Be sober without effort.”

You have sent a letter to me through the hand of a “friend” of yours as you call him. And in your very next sentence you warn me not to discuss with him all the matters that concern you saying that even you yourself are not accustomed to do this; in other words you have in the same letter affirmed and denied that he is your friend.”

You have to assemble your life yourself—action by action. And be satisfied if each one achieves its goal as far as it can. No one can keep that from happening. —But there are external obstacles.… Not to behaving with justice self-control and good sense. —Well but perhaps to some more concrete action. But if you accept the obstacle and work with what you’re given an alternative will present itself—another piece of what you’re trying to assemble. Action by action.”

You need to avoid certain things in your train of thoughteverything random everything irrelevant. And certainly everything self-important or malicious. You need to get used to winnowing your thoughts so that if someone says “What are your thinking about?” you can respond at once (and fully) that you are thinking this or thinking that.”

You should always be ready to apply these two rules of action the first to do nothing other than what the kingly and law-making art ordains for the benefits of humankind and the second to be prepared to change your mind if someone is at hand to put you right and guide you away from some groundless opinion.”

You should always look on human life as short and cheap. Yesterday spermtomorrow a mummy or ashes.”

You should take no action unwillingly selfishly uncritically or with conflicting motives. Do not dress up your thoughts in smart finerydo not be a gabbler or a meddler. Further let the god that is within you be the champion of the being you are a male mature in years a statesman a Roman a rulerone who has taken his post a soldier waiting for the Retreat from life to sound and ready to depart past the need for any loyal oath or human witness. And see that you keep a cheerf

You will find that you are ashamed to admit defeat. Again, remember that it is not the weight of the future or the past that is pressing upon you, but ever of the present alone. Even this burden, too, can be lessened if you confine it strictly to its own limits, and are severe enough with your minds inability to bear such a trifle

You’ve given aid and they’ve received it. And yet an idiot you keep holding out for moreto be credited with a Good Deed to be repaid in kind. Why?”

Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not the sun will soon set and you with it.”

Your life is what your thoughts make it”

Your mind will be its habitual thoughts; for the soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts.”

Your three componentsbody breath mind. Two are yours in trust; to the third alone you have clear title. If you can cut yourself—your mind—free of what other people do and say of what you’ve said or done of the things that you’re afraid will happen the impositions of the body that contains you and the breath within and what the whirling chaos sweeps in from outside so that the mind is freed from fate brought to clarity and lives life on its own recognizance