Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 7.40 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.40
Life must be reaped like the ripe ears of corn: One man is born; another dies.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.40, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/7.40
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesLife is harvested like ripe grain: one person arrives and another departs. Death is part of a natural cycle and not an injustice aimed at you.
Older wording
- “reaped”
- — harvested
- “ears of corn”
- — heads of grain
Themes and situations
- Death and mortality
- Change and impermanence
- Acceptance and fate
- Grief and mourning
- Bereavement
- Fear of death
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