Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 7.46 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.46
But, my good friend, reflect whether that which is noble and good is not something different from saving and being saved; for as to a man living such or such a time, at least one who is really a man, consider if this is not a thing to be dismissed from the thoughts: and there must be no love of life: but as to these matters a man must entrust them to the deity and believe what the women say, that no man can escape his destiny, the next inquiry being how he may best live the time that he has to live.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.46, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/7.46
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesBeing good is a different matter from staying alive. A real person should not fret over how long they will live or cling to life, but leave that to fate, which no one escapes, and focus on how to live well in the time they have.
Older wording
- “deity”
- — god
Themes and situations
- Death and mortality
- Acceptance and fate
- Virtue and character
- Courage
- Fear of death
- Anxiety about the future
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