Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 5.11 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.11
About what am I now employing my own soul? On every occasion I must ask myself this question, and inquire, what have I now in this part of me which they call the ruling principle? And whose soul have I now? That of a child, or of a young man, or of a feeble woman, or of a tyrant, or of a domestic animal, or of a wild beast?
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.11, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/5.11
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesThroughout the day, stop and ask what your mind is up to and what kind of character is running it right now: childish, domineering, timid, or driven by raw appetite. Regular honest check-ins help you catch yourself acting beneath your best.
Older wording
- “ruling principle”
- — the reasoning part of your mind that makes decisions
Themes and situations
- Self-discipline and habit
- Virtue and character
- Learning and progress
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