Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 5.24 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.24
Think of the universal substance, of which thou hast a very small portion; and of universal time, of which a short and indivisible interval has been assigned to thee; and of that which is fixed by destiny, and how small a part of it thou art.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.24, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/5.24
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesZoom out to the whole of matter and the whole of time, and notice how tiny a share of each is yours and how small a part of the course of events you are. That wider view shrinks both your worries and your ego to their proper size.
Older wording
- “universal substance”
- — all the matter that makes up the universe
- “destiny”
- — fate, the fixed course of events
Themes and situations
- Nature and the cosmos
- Time and the present
- Change and impermanence
- Acceptance and fate
- Pride and humility
- Anxiety about the future
Quote cards
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