Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 8.22 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.22
Attend to the matter which is before thee, whether it is an opinion or an act or a word. Thou sufferest this justly: for thou choosest rather to become good tomorrow than to be good today.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.22, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/8.22
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesGive full attention to whatever is in front of you, be it a thought, an action or a conversation. If you are struggling, you have earned it, because you keep choosing to become good tomorrow instead of being good today.
Themes and situations
- Time and the present
- Learning and progress
- Self-discipline and habit
- Virtue and character
- Procrastination
- Feeling life is slipping by
- Breaking a bad habit
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