Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD who, during his campaigns against the barbarians, wrote his famous personal journal of sorts, Meditations.
Meditations is segmented into Books 1 through to Book 12 and are all in point form, recording all of his musings about anything and everything about the nature of life and what the human experience is all about.
While in Book 1 he primarily gives thanks to all the influences in his life who have made him who he is, the rest of the Books record his observations on topics such as Reason, Beauty, Society, Happiness, Love, Peace, and Death.
Meditations is revered as one of the major texts in Stoic Philosophy and I found it to be deeply impactful in my life. I hope it will be for you too.
Here are some nuggets of wisdom from Books 1-4 within Meditations that I've found deeply profound and meaningful:
On Beauty
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"Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from
On Living In The Present Moment
"Letting go all else, cling to the following few truths. Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant: all the rest of his life is either past and gone, or not yet revealed." - Book 3, Point 10
On The Nature Of The Universe
"The whole divine economy is pervaded by Providence.Even the vagaries of chance have their place in Nature's scheme; that is, in the intricate tapestry of the ordinances of Providence. Providence is the source from which all things flow; and allied with it is Necessity, and the welfare of the Universe." - Book 2, Point 3
"It is but Nature's way; and in the ways of Nature there is no evil to be found" - Book 2, Point 17
"The whole universe
"Observe how all things are continually being born of change; teach yourself to see that Nature's highest happiness lies in changing things that are, and forming new things after their kind." - Book 4, Point 36
On 'The Self'
"A little flesh, a little breath, and a Reason to rule all - that is myself" - Book 2, Point 2
"You yourself are a part of that universe, and for
"Body, soul, and mind: the body for sensation, the soul for the springs of action, the mind for principles." - Book 3, Point 16
" 'A poor soul burdened with a corpse,' Epictetus calls you." - Book 4, Point 41
On Taking Action
"It is time now to realize the nature of the universe to which you belong, and of that controlling Power whose offspring you are
"A fifth [wrong], for the soul to direct its acts and
"In your actions let there be a willing promptitude, yet a regard for the common interest; due deliberation, yet no irresolution; and in your sentiments no pretentious over-refinement." - Book 3, Point 5
"Live not as though there were a thousand years ahead of you. Fate is at your elbow; make yourself good while life and power are still yours." - Book 4, Point 17
On Honesty
"A fourth [wrong], to
"Never value the advantages derived from anything involving
On Tolerance
"Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness - all of them due to the offender's ignorance of what is good or evil...Neither can I be angry with my brother or fall foul of him; for he and I were born to work together..." - Book 2, Point 1
"Another wrong, again, is to reject a fellow -creature or oppose him with malicious intent, as men do when they are angry" - Book 2, Point 16
"In every instance learn to say, This comes from God; or, This is one of Fate's dispensations, a strand in a complex web, a conjunction of foruities; or again, This is the work of a man who is of the same stock and breed and brotherhood as I am, but is ignorant of what Nature requires of him." - Book 3, Point 11
"After all, what is it that frets you? The vices of humanity? Remember the doctrine that all rational beings are created for one another; that toleration is part of justice; and that men are not intentional evildoers." - Book 4, Point 3
On Inner Peace
"Are you distracted by outward cares? Then allow yourself a space of quiet, wherein you can add to your knowledge of the Good and learn to curb your restlessness." - Book 2, Point 7
"For a human soul, the greatest of self-inflicted wrongs is to make itself (so far as it is able to do so) a kind of tumour or abscess on the universe; for to quarrel with circumstances is always a rebellion against Nature..." -Book 2, Point 16
"Do not waste what remains of your life in speculating about your neighbours, unless with a view to some mutual benefit" - Book 3, Point 4
"If moral life can offer you anything better than justice and truth, self-control and courage - that is, peace of mind in the evident conformity of your actions to the laws of reason, and peace of mind under the visitations of a destiny you cannot control..." - Book 3, Point 6
"Put from you the belief that 'I have been wronged', and with it will go the feeling. Reject your sense of injury, and the injury itself disappears." - Book 4, Point 7
On Death
"We should apprehend, too, the nature of death; and that if only it be steadily contemplated, and the fancies we associate with it be mentally dissected, it will soon come to be thought of as no more than a process of nature (and only children are scared by a natural process) - or rather, something more than a mere process, a positive contribution to nature's well-being." - Book 2, Point 12
"Death, like birth, is one of Nature's secrets; the same elements that have been combined are then dispersed. Nothing about it need give cause for shame. For beings endowed with mind it is no anomaly, nor in any way inconsistent with the plan of their creation." - Book 3, Point 5
"As a part, you inhere in the Whole. You will vanish into that which gave you birth; or rather, you will be transmuted once more into the creative Reason of the universe." - Book 4, Point 14
"Spend, therefore, these fleeting moments on earth as Nature would have you spend them, and then go to your rest with a good grace, as an olive falls in its season, with a blessing for the earth that bore it and thanksgiving to the tree that gave it life." - Book 4, Point 48
These Are Only Some From Books 1-4!
There's so much more Marcus Aurelius has to offer. Throughout his 12 books within Meditations, he tackles all aspects of living and I am sure that you will find even more precious gems of wisdom if you were to read ahead! Grab a copy and appreciate this ancient wisdom that is still so relevant today.
