Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 7.17 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.17
Eudæmonia [happiness] is a good daemon, or a good thing. What then art thou doing here, O imagination? Go away, I entreat thee by the gods, as thou didst come, for I want thee not. But thou art come according to thy old fashion. I am not angry with thee: only go away.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.17, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/7.17
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesHappiness comes from a good inner spirit, so when a troubling or tempting fancy shows up uninvited, calmly send it away without anger: you did not ask for it and you do not need it.
Older wording
- “Eudæmonia”
- — Greek for happiness or flourishing
- “daemon”
- — an inner guiding spirit
- “imagination”
- — uninvited mental fancies and images
Themes and situations
- Judgements and impressions
- Emotions and the passions
- Fear and anxiety
- Peace of mind
- Anxiety about the future
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