Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 4.38 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.38
Examine men’s ruling principles, even those of the wise, what kind of things they avoid, and what kind they pursue.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.38, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/4.38
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesLook closely at what drives people, even clever ones, by noticing what they run from and what they chase, because their real values show there.
Older wording
- “ruling principles”
- — the guiding beliefs that drive a person's choices
Themes and situations
- Judgements and impressions
- Learning and progress
- Desire and craving
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