Marcus Aurelius Quotations

Marcus Aurelius

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.

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.

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, 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 truth in every word and sound which thou utterest, thou wilt live happily. And there is no man who is able to prevent this.

If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.

Injustice is as often done by refraining from action as by action.

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 others.

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

Look well into thyself; there is a source which will always spring up if thou wilt always search there.

Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight.

Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man -- yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned to thee, live rationally, and part with life cheerfully, as drops the ripe olive, extolling the season that bore it and the tree that matured it.

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.

The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject.

To them that ask, where have you seen the gods, or how do you know for certain there are gods, that you are so devout in their worship? I answer: Neither have I ever seen my own soul, and yet I respect and honor it.