Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 8.12 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.12
When thou risest from sleep with reluctance, remember that it is according to thy constitution and according to human nature to perform social acts, but sleeping is common also to irrational animals. But that which is according to each individual’s nature is also more peculiarly its own, and more suitable to its nature, and indeed also more agreeable.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.12, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/8.12
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesWhen you do not want to get out of bed, remember that being useful to others is what you are built for, while sleeping is something you share with animals. What is specific to your own nature is both more fitting and more satisfying than comfort.
Older wording
- “constitution”
- — natural make-up
- “irrational animals”
- — animals that do not reason
Themes and situations
- Duty and roles
- Self-discipline and habit
- Nature and the cosmos
- Procrastination
- Burnout and overwork
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