Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (top romance novels .txt) 📖
- Author: Marcus Aurelius
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part of the universe, and so on forever. And by consequence of such a
change I too exist, and those who begot me, and so on forever in the
other direction. For nothing hinders us from saying so, even if the
universe is administered according to definite periods [of revolution].
14. Reason and the reasoning art [philosophy] are powers which are
sufficient for themselves and for their own works. They move then from a
first principle which is their own, and they make their way to the end
which is proposed to them; and this is the reason why such acts are named
Catorthoseis or right acts, which word signifies that they proceed by the
right road.
15. None of these things ought to be called a man’s which do not belong
to a man, as man. They are not required of a man, nor does man’s nature
promise them, nor are they the means of man’s nature attaining its end.
Neither then does the end of man lie in these things, nor yet that which
aids to the accomplishment of this end, and that which aids towards this
end is that which is good. Besides, if any of these things did belong to
man, it would not be right for a man to despise them and to set himself
against them; nor would a man be worthy of praise who showed that he did
not want these things, nor would he who stinted himself in any of them be
good, if indeed these things were good. But now the more of these things
a man deprives himself of, or of other things like them, or even when he
is deprived of any of them, the more patiently he endures the loss, just
in the same degree he is a better man.
16. Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of
thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it then with a
continuous series of such thoughts as these: for instance, that where a
man can live, there he can also live well. But he must live in a palace;
well then, he can also live well in a palace. And again, consider that
for whatever purpose each thing has been constituted, for this it has
been constituted, and towards this it is carried; and its end is in that
towards which it is carried; and where the end is, there also is the
advantage and the good of each thing. Now the good for the reasonable
animal is society; for that we are made for society has been shown above.
Is it not plain that the inferior exists for the sake of the superior?
But the things which have life are superior to those which have not life,
and of those which have life the superior are those which have reason.
17. To seek what is impossible is madness: and it is impossible that the
bad should not do something of this kind.
18. Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear.
The same things happen to another, and either because he does not see
that they have happened, or because he would show a great spirit, he is
firm and remains unharmed. It is a shame then that ignorance and conceit
should be stronger than wisdom.
19. Things themselves touch not the soul, not in the least degree; nor
have they admission to the soul, nor can they turn or move the soul: but
the soul turns and moves itself alone, and whatever judgments it may
think proper to make, such it makes for itself the things which present
themselves to it.
20. In one respect man is the nearest thing to me, so far as I must do
good to men and endure them. But so far as some men make themselves
obstacles to my proper acts, man becomes to me one of the things which
are indifferent, no less than the sun or wind or a wild beast. Now it is
true that these may impede my action, but they are no impediments to my
effects and disposition, which have the power of acting conditionally and
changing: for the mind converts and changes every hindrance to its
activity into an aid; and so that which is a hindrance is made a
furtherance to an act; and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us
on this road.
21. Reverence that which is best in the universe; and this is that which
makes use of all things and directs all things. And in like manner also
reverence that which is best in thyself; and this is of the same kind as
that. For in thyself also, that which makes use of everything else is
this, and thy life is directed by this.
22. That which does no harm to the state, does no harm to the citizen. In
the case of every appearance of harm apply this rule: if the state is not
harmed by this, neither am I harmed. But if the state is harmed, thou
must not be angry with him who does harm to the state. Show him where his
error is.
23. Often think of the rapidity with which things pass by and disappear,
both the things which are and the things which are produced. For
substance is like a river in a continual flow, and the activities of
things are in constant change, and the causes work in infinite varieties;
and there is hardly anything which stands still. And consider this which
is near to thee, this boundless abyss of the past and of the future in
which all things disappear. How then is he not a fool who is puffed up
with such things or plagued about them and makes himself miserable? for
they vex him only for a time, and a short time.
24. Think of the universal substance, of which thou hast a very small
portion; and of universal time, of which a short and indivisible interval
has been assigned to thee; and of that which is fixed by destiny, and how
small a part of it thou art.
25. Does another do me wrong? Let him look to it. He has his own
disposition, his own activity. I now have what the universal nature wills
me to have; and I do what my nature now wills me to do.
26. Let the part of thy soul which leads and governs be undisturbed by
the movements in the flesh, whether of pleasure or of pain; and let it
not unite with them, but let it circumscribe itself and limit those
affects to their parts. But when these affects rise up to the mind by
virtue of that other sympathy that naturally exists in a body which is
all one, then thou must not strive to resist the sensation, for it is
natural: but let not the ruling part of itself add to the sensation the
opinion that it is either good or bad.
27. Live with the gods. And he does live with the gods who constantly
shows to them that his own soul is satisfied with that which is assigned
to him, and that it does all that the daemon wishes, which Zeus hath
given to every man for his guardian and guide, a portion of himself. And
this is every man’s understanding and reason.
28. Art thou angry with him whose armpits stink? art thou angry with him
whose mouth smells foul? What good will this anger do thee? He has such a
mouth, he has such armpits: it is necessary that such an emanation must
come from such things; but the man has reason, it will be said, and he is
able, if he takes pains, to discover wherein he offends; I wish thee well
of thy discovery. Well then, and thou hast reason: by thy rational
faculty stir up his rational faculty; show him his error, admonish him.
For if he listens, thou wilt cure him, and there is no need of anger.
29. As thou intendest to live when thou art gone out, … so it is in thy
power to live here. But if men do not permit thee, then get away out of
life, yet so as if them wert suffering no harm. The house is smoky, and I
quit it. Why dost thou think that this is any trouble? But so long as
nothing of the kind drives me out, I remain, am free, and no man shall
hinder me from doing what I choose; and I choose to do what is according
to the nature of the rational and social animal.
30. The intelligence of the universe is social. Accordingly it has made
the inferior things for the sake of the superior, and it has fitted the
superior to one another. Thou seest how it has subordinated, co-ordinated,
and assigned to everything its proper portion, and has brought
together into concord with one another the things which are the best.
31. How hast thou behaved hitherto to the gods, thy parents, brethren,
children, teachers, to those who looked after thy infancy, to thy
friends, kinsfolk, to thy slaves? Consider if thou hast hitherto behaved
to all in such a way that this may be said of thee,—
“Never has wronged a man in deed or word.”
And call to recollection both how many things thou hast passed through,
and how many things thou hast been able to endure and that the history of
thy life is now complete and thy service is ended; and how many beautiful
things thou hast seen; and how many pleasures and pains thou hast
despised; and how many things called honorable thou hast spurned; and to
how many ill-minded folks thou hast shown a kind disposition.
32. Why do unskilled and ignorant souls disturb him who has skill and
knowledge? What soul then has skill and knowledge? That which knows
beginning and end, and knows the reason which pervades all substance, and
through all time by fixed periods [revolutions] administers the universe.
33. Soon, very soon, thou wilt be ashes, or a skeleton, and either a name
or not even a name; but name is sound and echo. And the things which are
much valued in life are empty and rotten and trifling, and [like] little
dogs biting one another, and little children quarrelling, laughing, and
then straightway weeping. But fidelity and modesty and justice and truth
are fled
Up to Olympus from the wide-spread earth.
HESIOD, Works, etc. V. 197.
What then is there which still detains thee here, if the objects of sense
are easily changed and never stand still, and the organs of perception
are dull and easily receive false impressions, and the poor soul itself
is an exhalation from blood? But to have good repute amid such a world as
this is an empty thing. Why then dost thou not wait in tranquillity for
thy end, whether it is extinction or removal to another state? And until
that time comes, what is sufficient? Why, what else than to venerate the
gods and bless them, and to do good to men, and to practice tolerance and
self-restraint; but as to everything which is beyond the limits of the
poor flesh and breath, to remember that this is neither thine nor in thy
power.
34. Thou canst pass thy life in an equable flow of happiness, if thou
canst go by the right way, and think and act in the right way. These two
things are common both to the soul of God and to the soul of man, and to
the soul of every rational being: not to be hindered by another;
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