Meditations

1. Marcus asks his soul if it will ever stop yearning for what it doesn’t have and instead be satisfied with what it has right now. Everything is a gift from the gods and is therefore good.

3. Whether something is “endurable” or not, quit complaining. Either you’ll be destroyed, or your mind will make the thing endurable.

4. As a part of a whole, you have no right to complain about the part allotted to you. Whatever benefits the whole can’t harm the parts. Don’t be selfish, and focus on what benefits the community.

8. If you embrace sanity (understanding things for what they are), cooperation with nature, and disinterest in the flesh, then you’ll be a new person. It doesn’t matter if anyone else thinks so.

9. Actions should aim at practical goals, exercising thought, and maintaining confidence in your understanding.

12. Life isn’t guesswork. If the road is clear, then follow it; if not, get good advice and follow the best path you can.

15. Live as if you’re in the wilderness. Your “city,” after all, is the world.

16. Don’t just talk about what a good person is, be one.

22. There are only three possibilities: to keep living, to end your life by choice, or to die after having met your obligations. This gives you reason to be optimistic.

25. To feel something like grief, anger, or fear is like being “a fugitive from justice,” because you’re trying to escape the law of nature.

27. History is basically just the repetition of the same events, even if the cast of characters changes.

31. Life is just training for your logos, and it’s enough to live life well, by observing things accurately.

35. If a person’s senses are healthy, they should be able to handle anything. Similarly, a healthy mind shouldn’t keep worrying or being anxious about others’ approval.