Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 11.12 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.12
The spherical form of the soul maintains its figure, when it is neither extended towards any object, nor contracted inwards, nor dispersed nor sinks down, but is illuminated by light, by which it sees the truth, the truth of all things and the truth that is in itself.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.12, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/11.12
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesA healthy mind is like a perfect sphere: it holds its shape when it does not stretch out toward objects, shrink inward, scatter or sink, and it stays lit by the light of truth, seeing the truth of things and of itself.
Older wording
- “spherical form of the soul”
- — the soul pictured as a perfect, calm, self-contained ball
Themes and situations
- Peace of mind
- Virtue and character
- Judgements and impressions
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