MEDITATIONS
By Marcus Aurelius
MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS THE ROMAN EMPEROR
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BOOKS INTRODUCTION
HIS FIRST BOOK
THE SECOND BOOK THE THIRD BOOK THE FOURTH BOOK THE FIFTH BOOK THE SIXTH BOOK THE SEVENTH BOOK THE EIGHTH BOOK THE NINTH BOOK THE TENTH BOOK
THE ELEVENTH BOOK THE TWELFTH BOOK APPENDIX
NOTES
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GLOSSARY
Paragraphs with First Lines
HIS FIRST BOOK
I. Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to
II. Of him that brought me up, not to be fondly addicted to either of III. Of Diognetus, not to busy myself about vain things, and not easily IV. To Rusticus I am beholding, that I first entered into the conceit
V. From Apollonius, true liberty, and unvariable steadfastness, and not
VI. Of Sextus, mildness and the pattern of a family governed with
VII. From Alexander the Grammarian, to be un-reprovable myself, and not VIII. Of Fronto, to how much envy and fraud and hypocrisy the state of a IX. Of Alexander the Platonic, not often nor without great necessity to
X. Of Catulus, not to contemn any friend's expostulation, though unjust, XI. From my brother Severus, to be kind and loving to all them of my XII. From Claudius Maximus, in all things to endeavour to have power XIII. In my father, I observed his meekness; his constancy without
XIV. From the gods I received that I had good grandfathers, and parents, XV. In the country of the Quadi at Granua, these. Betimes in the morning XVI. Whatsoever I am, is either flesh, or life, or that which we
XVII. Whatsoever proceeds from the gods immediately, that any man will
THE SECOND BOOK
I. Remember how long thou hast already put off these things, and how
II. Let it be thy earnest and incessant care as a Roman and a man to III. Do, soul, do; abuse and contemn thyself; yet a while and the time IV. Why should any of these things that happen externally, so much V. For not observing the state of another man's soul, scarce was ever VI. These things thou must always have in mind: What is the nature
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VII. Theophrastus, where he compares sin with sin (as after a vulgar VIII. Whatsoever thou dost affect, whatsoever thou dost project, so do, IX. Consider how quickly all things are dissolved and resolved: the
X. It is the part of a man endowed with a good understanding faculty, to XI. Consider with thyself how man, and by what part of his, is joined XII. If thou shouldst live three thousand, or as many as ten thousands XIII. Remember that all is but opinion and conceit, for those things
XIV. A man's soul doth wrong and disrespect itself first and especially,
XV. The time of a man's life is as a point; the substance of it ever
THE THIRD BOOK
I. A man must not only consider how daily his life wasteth and
II. This also thou must observe, that whatsoever it is that naturally
III. Hippocrates having cured many sicknesses, fell sick himself and
IV. Spend not the remnant of thy days in thoughts and fancies concerning
V. Do nothing against thy will, nor contrary to the community, nor
VI. To be cheerful, and to stand in no need, either of other men's help
VII. If thou shalt find anything in this mortal life better than
VIII. Never esteem of anything as profitable, which shall ever constrain
IX. In the mind that is once truly disciplined and purged, thou canst
X. Use thine opinative faculty with all honour and respect, for in
XI. To these ever-present helps and mementoes, let one more be added, XII. What is this, that now my fancy is set upon? of what things doth XIII. If thou shalt intend that which is present, following the rule of XIV. As physicians and chirurgeons have always their instruments ready XV. Be not deceived; for thou shalt never live to read thy moral
XVI. To steal, to sow, to buy, to be at rest, to see what is to be done
XVII. To be capable of fancies and imaginations, is common to man and
THE FOURTH BOOK
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I. That inward mistress part of man if it be in its own true natural
II. Let nothing be done rashly, and at random, but all things according
III. They seek for themselves private retiring
IV. If to understand and to be reasonable be common unto all men, then
V. As generation is, so also death, a secret of nature's wisdom: a
VI. Such and such things, from such and such causes, must of necessity VII. Let opinion be taken away, and no man will think himself wronged. VIII. Whatsoever doth happen in the world, doth happen justly, and so if IX. Conceit no such things, as he that wrongeth thee conceiveth,
X. These two rules, thou must have always in a readiness. First, do
XI. Hast thou reason? I have. Why then makest thou not use of it? For if XII. As a part hitherto thou hast had a particular subsistence: and now XIII. Within ten days, if so happen, thou shalt be esteemed a god of
XIV. Not as though thou hadst thousands of years to live. Death hangs XV. Now much time and leisure doth he gain, who is not curious to know XVI. He who is greedy of credit and reputation after his death, doth XVII. If so be that the souls remain after death (say they that will not XVIII. Not to wander out of the way, but upon every motion and desire, XIX. Whatsoever is expedient unto thee, O World, is expedient unto me; XX. They will say commonly, Meddle not with many things, if thou wilt XXI. Try also how a good man's life; (of one, who is well pleased with XXII. Either this world is a kosmoz or comely piece, because all
XXIII. A black or malign disposition, an effeminate disposition; an XXIV. He is a true fugitive, that flies from reason, by which men are XXV. There is, who without so much as a coat; and there is, who without XXVI. What art and profession soever thou hast learned, endeavour to
XXVII. Consider in my mind, for example's sake, the times of Vespasian: XXVIII. Those words which once were common and ordinary, are now become
XXIX. Whatsoever is now present, and from day to day hath its existence;
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XXX. Thou art now ready to die, and yet hast thou not attained to XXXI. Behold and observe, what is the state of their rational part; and XXXII. In another man's mind and understanding thy evil Cannot subsist, XXXIII. Ever consider and think upon the world as being but one living XXXIV. What art thou, that better and divine part excepted, but as
XXXV. To suffer change can be no hurt; as no benefit it is, by change to XXXVI. Whatsoever doth happen in the world, is, in the course of nature, XXXVII. Let that of Heraclitus never be out of thy mind, that the death XXXVIII. Even as if any of the gods should tell thee, Thou shalt
XXXIX. Let it be thy perpetual meditation, how many physicians who XL. Thou must be like a promontory of the sea, against which though XLI. Oh, wretched I, to whom this mischance is happened! nay, happy I, XLII. It is but an ordinary coarse