The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

by Marcus Aurelius

same. For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived, if it is true that this is the only thing which he has, and that a man cannot lose a thing if he has it not. Remember that all

And, to say all in a word, everything which belongs to the body is a stream, and what belongs to the soul is a dream and vapour, and life is a warfare and a stranger’s sojourn,

WE OUGHT TO CONSIDER NOT ONLY THAT OUR LIFE IS DAILY WASTING away and a smaller part of it is left, but another thing also must be taken into the account, that if a man should live longer, it is quite uncertain whether the understanding will still continue sufficient for the comprehension of things, and retain the power of contemplation which strives to acquire the knowledge of the divine and the human.

Be cheerful also, and seek not external help nor the tranquility which others give. A man then must stand erect, not be kept erect by others. If thou findest