Marcus Aurelius QuotesWisdom from the Philosopher Emperor

"This that I am, whatever it be, is mere flesh and a little breath and the ruling Reason."

"Nothing that goes on in anyone else's mind can harm you. Nor can the shifts and changes in the world around you. —Then where is harm to be found? In your capacity to see it."

"Some things are hurrying into existence, and others are hurrying out of it."

"The way to peace is to be content with yourself, honor the light of reason within, live in harmony with others, and be grateful to the gods for the universe and your role in it."

"Yes, you can—if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable."

"For a man cannot lose either the past or the future: for what a man has not, how can any one take this from him?"

"Soon you'll be ashes or bones. A mere name at most - and even that is just a sound, an echo. The things we want in life are empty, stale, trivial."

"And why is it so hard when things go against you? If it's imposed by nature, accept it gladly and stop fighting it. And if not, work out what your own nature requires, and aim at that, even if it brings you no glory."

"To grieve or be angry about or fear what happens to you is to be a fugitive from the law of nature."

"We are all mere nuggets of incense on the one altar. Some burn down now, some later - there is no difference."

"Now a man should take away not only unnecessary acts, but also, unnecessary thoughts, for thus superfluous acts will not follow after."

"No matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be good. like gold or emerald or purple repeating to itself, 'no matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be emerald, my color undiminished'"

"It is high time for thee, to understand that there is somewhat in thee, better and more divine than either thy passions, or thy sensual appetites and affections."

"Is any man so foolish as to fear change, to which all things that once were not owe their being? And what is it, that is more pleasing and more familiar to the nature of the universe?"

"Studying philosophy instills modesty and straightforwardness in your character."

"Time is fixed for thee, which if thou dost not use for clearing away the clouds from thy mind, it will go and thou wilt go, and it will never return."

"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."

"It is only this present, a moment of time, that a man lives: all the rest either has been lived or may never."

"You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."

"The best revenge is not to be like your enemy."

"When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly."

"Remember that very little disturbs the calm mind—events cannot touch the mind."

"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."

"Confine yourself to the present."