Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 7.7 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.7
Be not ashamed to be helped; for it is thy business to do thy duty like a soldier in the assault on a town. How then, if being lame thou canst not mount up on the battlements alone, but with the help of another it is possible?
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.7, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/7.7
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesDo not be embarrassed to accept help. Your job is to get the duty done, like a soldier storming a wall, and if a lame man can reach the top only with someone's aid, then taking that aid is simply the right way to do it.
Older wording
- “battlements”
- — the defensive parapet at the top of a wall
Themes and situations
- Duty and roles
- Pride and humility
- Community and our duty to others
- Resilience and endurance
- Burnout and overwork
- Fear of failure
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