Quotes from Marcus Aurelius

People who are excited by posthumous fame forget that the people who remember them will soon die too. And those after them in turn. Until their memory, passed from one to another like a candle flame, gutters and goes out.

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.

Things of themselves cannot touch the soul at all. They have no entry to the soul, and cannot turn or move it. The soul alone turns and moves itself, making all externals presented to it cohere with the judgements it thinks worthy of itself.

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.

He who eats my bread does my will.

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

All men suffer, but not all men pity themselves.

Dig inside yourself. Inside there is a spring of goodness ready to gush at any moment if you keep digging.

You can discard most of the junk that clutters your mind—things that exist only there—and clear out space for yourself:  Ã¢â'¬Â¦ by comprehending the scale of the world  Ã¢â'¬Â¦ by contemplating infinite time  Ã¢â'¬Â¦ 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.

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

For times when you feel pain: See 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 help: that pain is neither unbearable nor unending, as long as you keep in mind its limits and don't magnify them in your imagination.

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

If it is not right, do not do it: if it is not true, do not say it. For let your impulse be in your own power.

Soon earth will cover us all. Then in time earth, too, will change; later, what issues from this change will itself in turn incessantly change, and so again will all that then takes its place, even unto the world's end. to let the mind dwell on these swiftly rolling billows of change and transformation is to know a contempt for all things mortal.

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

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.

18. Enter their minds, and you'll find the judges you're so afraid of—and how judiciously they judge themselves.

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

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

Anywhere you can lead your life, you can lead a good one.

3. Everything that happens is either endurable or not. If it's endurable, then endure it. Stop complaining. If it's unendurable Ã¢â'¬Â¦ then stop complaining. Your destruction will mean its end as well. Just remember: you can endure anything your mind can make endurable, by treating it as in your interest to do so. In your interest, or in your nature. 4.

Every soul, the philosopher says, is involuntarily deprived of truth; consequently in the same way it is deprived of justice and temperance and benevolence and everything of the kind. It is most necessary to bear this constantly in mind, for thus thou wilt be more gentle towards all.

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.

All that exists is the seed of what will emerge from it.