Thoughts Of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (e book free reading TXT) 📖

What Art

Thou Discontented? With The Badness Of Men? Recall To Thy Mind This

Conclusion,  That Rational Animals Exist For One Another,  And That To

Endure Is A Part Of Justice,  And That Men Do Wrong Involuntarily; And

Consider How Many Already,  After Mutual Enmity,  Suspicion,  Hatred,  And

Fighting,  Have Been Stretched Dead,  Reduced To Ashes; And Be Quiet At

Last.--But Perhaps Thou Art Dissatisfied With That Which Is Assigned To

Thee Out Of The Universe.--Recall To Thy Recollection This Alternative;

Either There Is Providence Or Atoms [Fortuitous Concurrence Of Things];

Or Remember The Arguments By Which It Has Been Proved That The World Is

A Kind Of Political Community [And Be Quiet At Last].--But Perhaps

Corporeal Things Will Still Fasten Upon Thee.--Consider Then Further

That The Mind Mingles Not With The Breath,  Whether Moving Gently Or

Violently,  When It Has Once Drawn Itself Apart And Discovered Its Own

Power,  And Think Also Of All That Thou Hast Heard And Assented To About

Pain And Pleasure [And Be Quiet At Last].--But Perhaps The Desire Of The

Thing Called Fame Will Torment Thee.--See How Soon Everything Is

Forgotten,  And Look At The Chaos Of Infinite Time On Each Side Of [The

Present],  And The Emptiness Of Applause,  And The Changeableness And Want

Of Judgment In Those Who Pretend To Give Praise,  And The Narrowness Of

The Space Within Which It Is Circumscribed [And Be Quiet At Last]. For

The Whole Earth Is A Point,  And How Small A Nook In It Is This Thy

Dwelling,  And How Few Are There In It,  And What Kind Of People Are They

Who Will Praise Thee.

 

This Then Remains: Remember To Retire Into This Little Territory Of Thy

Own,[A] And Above All Do Not Distract Or Strain Thyself,  But Be Free,

And Look At Things As A Man,  As A Human Being,  As A Citizen,  As A

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Mortal. But Among The Things Readiest To Thy Hand To Which Thou Shalt

Turn,  Let There Be These,  Which Are Two. One Is That Things Do Not Touch

The Soul,  For They Are External And Remain Immovable; But Our

Perturbations Come Only From The Opinion Which Is Within. The Other Is

That All These Things,  Which Thou Seest,  Change Immediately And Will No

Longer Be; And Constantly Bear In Mind How Many Of These Changes Thou

Hast Already Witnessed. The Universe Is Transformation: Life Is Opinion.

 

    [A] Tecum Habita,  Noris Quam Sit Tibi Curta

    Supellex.--_Perseus_,  Iv. 52.

 

4. If Our Intellectual Part Is Common,  The Reason Also,  In Respect Of

Which We Are Rational Beings,  Is Common: If This Is So,  Common Also Is

The Reason Which Commands Us What To Do,  And What Not To Do; If This Is

So,  There Is A Common Law Also; If This Is So,  We Are Fellow-Citizens;

If This Is So,  We Are Members Of Some Political Community; If This Is

So,  The World Is In A Manner A State.[A] For Of What Other Common

Political Community Will Any One Say That The Whole Human Race Are

Members? And From Thence,  From This Common Political Community,  Comes

Also Our Very Intellectual Faculty And Reasoning Faculty And Our

Capacity For Law; Or Whence Do They Come? For As My Earthly Part Is A

Portion Given To Me From Certain Earth,  And That Which Is Watery From

Another Element,  And That Which Is Hot And Fiery From Some Peculiar

Source (For Nothing Comes Out Of That Which Is Nothing,  As Nothing Also

Returns To Non-Existence),  So Also The Intellectual Part Comes From Some

Source.

 

    [A] Compare Cicero De Legibus,  I. 7.

 

5. Death Is Such As Generation Is,  A Mystery Of Nature; Composition Out

Of The Same Elements,  And A Decomposition Into The Same; And Altogether

Not A Thing Of Which Any Man Should Be Ashamed,  For It Is Not Contrary

To [The Nature Of] A Reasonable Animal,  And Not Contrary To The Reason

Of Our Constitution.

 

6. It Is Natural That These Things Should Be Done By Such Persons,  It Is

A Matter Of Necessity; And If A Man Will Not Have It So,  He Will Not

Allow The Fig-Tree To Have Juice. But By All Means Bear This In Mind,

That Within A Very Short Time Both Thou And He Will Be Dead; And Soon

Not Even Your Names Will Be Left Behind.

 

7. 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.

 

8. That Which Does Not Make A Man Worse Than He Was,  Also Does Not Make

His Life Worse,  Nor Does It Harm Him Either From Without Or From Within.

 

9. The Nature Of That Which Is [Universally] Useful Has Been Compelled

To Do This.

 

10. Consider That Everything Which Happens,  Happens Justly,  And If Thou

Observest Carefully,  Thou Wilt Find It To Be So. I Do Not Say Only With

Respect To The Continuity Of The Series Of Things,  But With Respect To

What Is Just,  And As If It Were Done By One Who Assigns To Each Thing

Its Value. Observe Then As Thou Hast Begun; And Whatever Thou Doest,  Do

It In Conjunction With This,  The Being Good,  And In The Sense In Which A

Man Is Properly Understood To Be Good. Keep To This In Every Action.

 

11. Do Not Have Such An Opinion Of Things As He Has Who Does Thee Wrong,

Or Such As He Wishes Thee To Have,  But Look At Them As They Are In

Truth.

 

12. A Man Should Always Have These Two Rules In Readiness; The One To Do

Only Whatever The Reason Of The Ruling And Legislating Faculty May

Suggest For The Use Of Men; The Other,  To Change Thy Opinion,  If There

Is Any One At Hand Who Sets Thee Right And Moves Thee From Any Opinion.

But This Change Of Opinion Must Proceed Only From A Certain Persuasion,

As Of What Is Just Or Of Common Advantage,  And The Like,  Not Because It

Appears Pleasant Or Brings Reputation.

 

13. Hast Thou Reason? I Have.--Why Then Dost Not Thou Use It? For If

This Does Its Own Work,  What Else Dost Thou Wish?

 

14. Thou Hast Existed As A Part. Thou Shalt Disappear In That Which

Produced Thee; But Rather Thou Shalt Be Received Back Into Its Seminal

Principle By Transmutation.

 

15. Many Grains Of Frankincense On The Same Altar: One Falls Before,

Another Falls After; But It Makes No Difference.

 

16. Within Ten Days Thou Wilt Seem A God To Those To Whom Thou Art Now A

Beast And An Ape,  If Thou Wilt Return To Thy Principles And The Worship

Of Reason.

 

17. Do Not Act As If Thou Wert Going To Live Ten Thousand Years. Death

Hangs Over Thee. While Thou Livest,  While It Is In Thy Power,  Be Good.

 

18. How Much Trouble He Avoids Who Does Not Look To See What His

Neighbor Says Or Does Or Thinks,  But Only To What He Does Himself,  That

It May Be Just And Pure; Or,  As Agathon+ Says,  Look Not Round At The

Depraved Morals Of Others,  But Run Straight Along The Line Without

Deviating From It.

 

19. He Who Has A Vehement Desire For Posthumous Fame Does Not Consider

That Every One Of Those Who Remember Him Will Himself Also Die Very

Soon; Then Again Also They Who Have Succeeded Them,  Until The Whole

Remembrance Shall Have Been Extinguished As It Is Transmitted Through

Men Who Foolishly Admire And Perish. But Suppose That Those Who Will

Remember Are Even Immortal,  And That The Remembrance Will Be Immortal,

What Then Is This To Thee? And I Say Not What Is It To The Dead,  But

What Is It To The Living? What Is Praise,  Except + Indeed So Far As It

Has + A Certain Utility? For Thou Now Rejectest Unseasonably The Gift

Of Nature,  Clinging To Something Else ... +.

 

20. Everything Which Is In Any Way Beautiful Is Beautiful In Itself,  And

Terminates In Itself,  Not Having Praise As Part Of Itself. Neither Worse

Then Nor Better Is A Thing Made By Being Praised. I Affirm This Also Of

The Things Which Are Called Beautiful By The Vulgar,  For Example,

Material Things And Works Of Art. That Which Is Really Beautiful Has No

Need Of Anything; Not More Than Law,  Not More Than Truth,  Not More Than

Benevolence Or Modesty. Which Of These Things Is Beautiful Because It

Is Praised,  Or Spoiled By Being Blamed? Is Such A Thing As An Emerald

Story 3 (The Thoughts Of Marcus Aurelius Antonius) Pg 52

Made Worse Than It Was,  If It Is Not Praised? Or Gold,  Ivory,  Purple,  A

Lyre,  A Little Knife,  A Flower,  A Shrub?

 

[Illustration: Interior Of The Parthenon]

 

21. If Souls Continue To Exist,  How Does The Air Contain Them From

Eternity?--But How Does The Earth Contain The Bodies Of Those Who Have

Been Buried From Time So Remote? For As Here The Mutation Of These

Bodies After A Certain Continuance,  Whatever It May Be,  And Their

Dissolution,  Make Room For Other Dead Bodies,  So The Souls Which Are

Removed Into The Air After Subsisting For Some Time Are Transmuted And

Diffused,  And Assume A Fiery Nature By Being Received Into The Seminal

Intelligence Of The Universe,  And In This Way Make Room For The Fresh

Souls Which Come To Dwell There. And This Is The Answer Which A Man

Might Give On The Hypothesis Of Souls Continuing To Exist. But We Must

Not Only Think Of The Number Of Bodies Which Are Thus Buried,  But Also

Of The Number Of Animals Which Are Daily Eaten By Us And The Other

Animals. For What A Number Is Consumed,  And Thus In A Manner Buried In

The Bodies Of Those Who Feed On Them! And Nevertheless This Earth

Receives Them By Reason Of The Changes [Of These Bodies] Into Blood,  And

The Transformations Into The Aerial Or The Fiery Element.

 

What Is The Investigation Into The Truth In This Matter? The Division

Into That Which Is Material And That Which Is The Cause Of Form [The

Formal],  (Vii. 29.)

 

22. Do Not Be Whirled About,  But In Every Movement Have Respect To

Justice,  And On The Occasion Of Every Impression Maintain The Faculty Of

Comprehension [Or Understanding].

 

23. Everything Harmonizes With Me,  Which Is Harmonious To Thee,  O

Universe. Nothing For Me Is Too Early Nor Too Late,  Which Is In Due Time

For Thee. Everything Is Fruit To Me Which Thy Seasons Bring,  O Nature:

From Thee Are All Things,  In Thee Are All Things,  To Thee All Things

Return. The Poet Says,  Dear City Of Cecrops; And Wilt Not Thou Say,  Dear

City Of Zeus?

 

24. Occupy Thyself With Few Things,  Says The Philosopher,  If Thou

Wouldst Be Tranquil.--But Consider If It Would Not Be Better To Say,  Do

What Is Necessary,  And Whatever The Reason Of The Animal Which Is

Naturally Social Requires,  And As It Requires. For This Brings Not Only

The Tranquillity Which Comes From Doing Well,  But Also That Which Comes

From Doing Few Things. For The Greatest Part Of What We Say And Do Being

Unnecessary,  If A Man Takes This Away,  He Will Have More Leisure And

Less Uneasiness. Accordingly,  On Every Occasion A