Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 8.39 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.39
In the constitution of the rational animal I see no virtue which is opposed to justice; but I see a virtue which is opposed to love of pleasure, and that is temperance.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.39, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/8.39
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesNo virtue in human nature works against justice, but the pull of pleasure does have an opposing virtue, which is self-restraint. Cultivating temperance is how you avoid being ruled by pleasure.
Older wording
- “temperance”
- — self-restraint
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Self-discipline and habit
- Pleasure and pain
- Justice and fairness
- Breaking a bad habit
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