Top 783 Quotes & Sayings by Marcus Aurelius - Page 2

Perhaps there are none more lazy, or more truly ignorant, than your everlasting readers.

Death, like birth, is a secret of Nature.

And thou wilt give thyself relief, if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last.

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.

Despise not death, but welcome it, for nature wills it like all else.

There is nothing happens to any person but what was in his power to go through with.

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.

Where a man can live, he can also live well.

Men exist for the sake of one another.

Let it be your constant method to look into the design of people's actions, and see what they would be at, as often as it is practicable; and to make this custom the more significant, practice it first upon yourself.

Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to see whether any shall note it... Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter, and think that even such a result is no trifle.

When thou art above measure angry, bethink thee how momentary is man's life.

A man should be upright, not be kept upright.

Each thing is of like form from everlasting and comes round again in its cycle.

To refrain from imitation is the best revenge.

The universal order and the personal order are nothing but different expressions and manifestations of a common underlying principle.

Be content to seem what you really are.

Everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be.

The act of dying is one of the acts of life.

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.

Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back.

Do not be wise in words - be wise in deeds.

Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.

No one was ever injured by the truth; but he who persists in self-deception and ignorance is injured.

It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinions than our own.

The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.

Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?

A man's true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else, on frequent self-examinations, and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to be right, without troubling himself about what others may think or say, or whether they do or do not that which he thinks and says and does.

Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All of these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill... I can neither be harmed by any of them, for no man will involve me in wrong, nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him; for we have come into the world to work together.

There is but one thing of real value - to cultivate truth and justice, and to live without anger in the midst of lying and unjust men.

The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.

Remember that there is a God who desires neither praise nor glory from men created in his image, but rather that they, guided by the understanding given them, should in their actions become like unto him.

Why should we feel anger at the world? As if the world would notice?

Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.

You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.

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

The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

Our anger and annoyance are more detrimental to us than the things themselves which anger or annoy us.

Nothing that goes on in anyone else's mind can harm you.

Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.

Life is short. Do not forget about the most important things in our life, living for other people and doing good for them.

I'm going to be meeting with people today who talk too much - people who are selfish, egotistical, ungrateful. But I won't be surprised or disturbed, for I can't imagine a world without such people.

The inner master, when confronted with an obstacle, uses it as fuel, like a fire which consumes things that are thrown into it. A small lamp would be snuffed out, but a big fire will engulf what is thrown at it and burn hotter; it consumes the obstacle and uses it to reach a higher level.

Adapt yourself to the life you have been given; and truly love the people with whom destiny has surrounded you.

Live your life as if you are ready to say goodbye to it at any moment, as if the time left for you were some pleasant surprise.

Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you'll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, 'Is this necessary?'

The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.

Your life is an expression of all your thoughts.

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

Think of all the years passed by in which you said to yourself "I'll do it tomorrow," and how the gods have again and again granted you periods of grace of which you have not availed yourself. It is time to realize that you are a member of the Universe, that you are born of Nature itself, and to know that a limit has been set to your time. Use every moment wisely, to perceive your inner refulgence, or 'twill be gone and nevermore within your reach.

Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.

If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one's own self-deception and ignorance.

What we do in life ripples in eternity.

When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one's energy, that one's modesty, another's generosity, and so on. Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we're practically showered with them. It's good to keep this in mind.

The happiness of those who want to be popular depends on others; the happiness of those who seek pleasure fluctuates with moods outside their control; but the happiness of the wise grows out of their own free acts.

Bear in mind that the measure of a man is the worth of the things he cares about.

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

Give yourself a gift: the present moment.

Whoever values peace of mind and the health of the soul will live the best of all possible lives.