Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 1.8 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 1.8
From Apollonius I learned freedom of will and undeviating steadiness of purpose; and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to reason; and to be always the same, in sharp pains, on the occasion of the loss of a child, and in long illness; and to see clearly in a living example that the same man can be both most resolute and yielding, and not peevish in giving his instruction; and to have had before my eyes a man who clearly considered his experience and his skill in expounding philosophical principles as the smallest of his merits; and from him I learned how to receive from friends what are esteemed favours, without being either humbled by them or letting them pass unnoticed.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 1.8, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/1.8
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesFrom one teacher he learned to keep his own will and purpose steady, to rely on reason alone, to stay the same in severe pain, the loss of a child and long illness, and to accept favours from friends without feeling either diminished or careless about them.
Older wording
- “freedom of will”
- — independence of choice and judgement
- “undeviating”
- — unwavering
- “peevish”
- — irritable and complaining
Themes and situations
- What is in our control
- Resilience and endurance
- Grief and mourning
- Pride and humility
- Gratitude
- Bereavement
- Illness or diagnosis
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