Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: the New Translation

by Marcus Aurelius

Be like the mixed martial arts fighter, not like the gladiator. The gladiator can drop his sword and be killed by it, but the other has his body as a weapon, and needs only to use it.

If it irritates you, cure yourself.

17. If it’s not right, don’t do it. If it’s not true, don’t say it. Follow your intention.

When you’re angry, you’ve forgotten this: everything that happens is natural, and other people’s bad actions are theirs to deal with.

You are a citizen of the world. What difference does five years or a thousand make?

Imagine a director dismissing an actor from the stage, only to hear: “But we’ve only finished three of the five acts!” True, but in life three acts can be the whole drama. For the length of the play is determined by your creator, who was responsible for your composition. And now your dissolution. It was never yours to determine. You can now depart satisfied, as your creator is satisfied.