Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 6.28 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.28
Death is a cessation of the impressions through the senses, and of the pulling of the strings which move the appetites, and of the discursive movements of the thoughts, and of the service to the flesh.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.28, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/6.28
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesDeath is simply the stopping of sensations, of the cravings that pull you around like a puppet, of restless thinking, and of the endless work of serving the body. Seen plainly, there is nothing in it to dread.
Older wording
- “discursive”
- — wandering from one thought to another
- “appetites”
- — cravings and urges
- “impressions”
- — sensory experiences
Themes and situations
- Death and mortality
- Fear and anxiety
- Acceptance and fate
- Fear of death
Quote cards
The opening line of this passage as an image, with its citation — for sharing or keeping.