Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aureliuswas Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169. Marcus Aurelius was the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors. He was a practitioner of Stoicism, and his untitled writing, commonly known as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, is the most significant source of our modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth26 April 121
CityRome, Italy
kindness quality common
Things that have a common quality ever quickly seek their kind.
power sobriety speech
Cultivate these, then, for they are wholly within your power: sincerity and dignity; industriousness; and sobriety. Avoid grumbling, be frugal, considerate, and frank; be temperate in manner and speech; carry yourself with authority.
love men return-back
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
morning work men
In the morning, when you are sluggish about getting up, let this thought be present: 'I am rising to a man's work.'
mind remember changing-your-mind
Remember that to change your mind and follow him who sets you right is to be none the less free than you were before.
passion men mind
Let thy chief fort and place of defense be a mind free from passions. A stronger place and better fortified than this, hath no man.
simple justice serious
Keep yourself simple, good, pure, serious, and unassuming; the friend of justice and godliness; kindly, affectionate, and resolute in your devotion to duty.
men unnecessary should
A man should remove not only unnecessary acts, but also unnecessary thoughts, for then superfluous activity will not follow.
lying race self
Find joy in simplicity, self-respect, and indifference to what lies between virtue and vice. Love the human race. Follow the divine.
plato achievement republic
Do not expect Plato's ideal republic; be satisfied with even the smallest step forward, and consider this no small achievement.
together world holy
Everything is interwoven, and the web is holy; none of its parts are unconnected. They are composed harmoniously, and together - they compose the world.
moving thinking soul
Things themselves cannot touch the soul, not in the least degree, nor have they admission to the soul nor can they turn or move the soul: it turns and moves itself alone and whatever judgment it may think proper to make, such it makes by remaking for itself the things that present themselves to it