Quotes from Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.

Our life is what our thoughts make it.

The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.

There is no man so blessed that some who stand by his deathbed won't hail the occasion with delight.

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

A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.

Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretence.

The blazing fire makes flames and brightness out of everything thrown into it.

Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside.

Accustom yourself to Master tilings of the greatest difficulty, and which you seem to despair of. For if you observe, the Left-hand, tho' for want of Practice, 'tis insignificant to other Business, yet it holds the Bridle better than the Right, because it has been used to it.

Što god itko u?ini ili kaže, ja moram biti dobar ?ovjek. Kao da smaragd, ili zlato, ili purpur, neprekidno govore: ''Što god itko u?ini ili kaže, moram biti smaragd i o?uvati vlastitu boju.

U svojim napadajima bijesa neka ti je ova misao pri ruci, jer je blagi spokoj daleko ljudskiji i stoga više muževan. Blagi posjeduju snagu, ?vrsto?u i hrabrost- ne oni uvrije?eni i pla?ljivi. Što je ?vrš?i nadzor nad emocijama, to si bliže mo?i. Gnjev je znak slabosti, jednako kao i patnja. Oboje su ranjeni, oboje su se predali.

Ne snatri o posjedovanju onog što nemaš, radije razmišljaju o vrhunskim blagoslovima u onome što posjeduješ i stoga podsje?aj sebe koliko bi ti nedostajali da nisu ondje. No istovremeno, moraš paziti da te vlastito uživanje u njima ne navikne na ovisnost, i tako izbje?i nemir ako ih ponekad nema.

When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...

Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.

The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.

God give me patience, to reconcile with what I am not able to changeGive me strength to change what I canAnd give me wisdom to distinguish one from another.

A key point to bear in mind: The value of attentiveness varies in proportion to its object. You're better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.

Live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.

For outward show is a wonderful perverter of the reason.

Don't go on discussing what a good person should be. Just be one.

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.

Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no part of it, for nothing is made worse or better by praise.

I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.