Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Meditations, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Philosophy, The Mind, and Living Well
Relationships and The City
Nature and the Gods
Mortality and Dying Well
Summary
Analysis
1. Even if we live a long life, Marcus says, we can’t guarantee that our minds will stay up to the task of contemplating the world. Sure, it will still be possible to feel biological urges and use one’s imagination, but the ability to understand one’s duty, analyze, and make decisions will be gone. So one must hurry—it’s not just death that’s approaching quickly, but a possible end to our mind’s grasp.
Carnuntum, the title of this section, was a fortress on the Danube River. Marcus Aurelius was known to have been stationed here with his armies in 172–173. Here, Marcus emphasizes that philosophy is a matter of urgency because we don’t know how long our minds will be up to the task.
Themes
2. Those who are “at home with Nature” can see beauty in things like the cracks on top of a loaf of bread, ripe fruits, bent stalks of wheat, and a lion’s furrowed brow—all of which go unnoticed by most people. These things aren’t beautiful in themselves, yet they enrich nature as a whole. Paying attention to such things helps a person see beauty in all stages of life, too.
Being “at home with Nature” means being attentive to its patterns throughout all of life. This practice isn’t simply a matter of seeing beauty in unexpected places, but of training oneself to see every element of one’s own life as part of a necessary, harmonious whole.
Themes
3. Even the famous and formidable have died, some of them in disgraceful ways. As for Marcus, he’s already made his life’s voyage, and it’s “time to disembark.” Even if death brings nothingness, at least he’ll no longer have to put up with his battered body, which is inferior to the mind.
4. A person must practice “winnowing [the] thoughts,” so that if they’re asked what they’re thinking, they can reply quickly and honestly. And their thoughts will be revealed as straightforward, unselfish, and not shameful. A person who can do this is “a kind of priest” who’s in touch with the divine within, and “an athlete in the greatest” contest—the struggle not to be overwhelmed by what happens. Such a person trusts that everything is for the best, knowing that all rational things are connected.
A person who’s constantly disciplining their thoughts won’t hesitate to share them. Such a person has trained their logos, the rational mind that’s in touch with the divine, and is therefore connected to the gods. This is a constant struggle, like an athlete training rigorously for a contest. But they can be encouraged by the belief that their rational mind, and indeed all rational things, harmoniously connect.
Themes
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7. If a person goes through life focusing on the mind, life should be free of too much drama. And they can thrive whether there are few other people around or many. Such a person doesn’t waste time worrying about death—it’s just one more thing to accomplish, and to be done in a “rational, civic” state of mind.
This kind of mental discipline simplifies life. It also helps a person to feel satisfied no matter the circumstances that surround them, even impending death. Marcus occasionally emphasizes the “civic” nature of the rational mind, meaning that the individual’s mind is connected to the life of their community.
Themes
11. The most important thing for “spiritual growth” is the ability to logically and accurately analyze whatever happens. Doing this enables a person to understand the value of a thing, both to oneself and to the world as a whole—which also helps a person understand oneself as “a citizen of that higher city” of which cities are households. In this way, when a person analyzes what happens, they can determine if something is due to God, or chance, or someone else, who is (as always) to be treated with kindness and justice.
This awareness of the greater whole is important for someone’s “spiritual health”—they know they’re part of a greater “city” (i.e., “the world”) and that whatever happens somehow promotes their own well-being as well as that of their community. Understanding the nature of things also helps a person assess the real value of things and determine their significance.
Themes
13. Much as a doctor keeps his surgical tools nearby (in case of emergency), so too should people keep their philosophy handy. The earthly can’t succeed without the heavenly, and vice versa.
Philosophy is likened to a doctor’s tools, as they’re both used for healing. Someone who practices philosophy understands that the earthly and heavenly are interconnected.
Themes
16. Life is more than the body’s sensations (even beasts experience those) or the soul’s desires (any human has them). And even bad people can use their minds to guide them. What distinguishes the good person is that they warmly welcome what fate sends. They don’t let their soul be discouraged by false beliefs, unjust actions, or fear of death.
Still, the mind is more important than bodily sensations or even inner desires, because it regulates a person’s reactions to whatever happens. A person with a healthy mind can be unafraid of fate.
Themes
