Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 8.48 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.48
Remember that the ruling faculty is invincible, when self-collected it is satisfied with itself, if it does nothing which it does not choose to do, even if it resist from mere obstinacy. What then will it be when it forms a judgement about anything aided by reason and deliberately? Therefore the mind which is free from passions is a citadel, for man has nothing more secure to which he can fly for, refuge and for the future be inexpugnable. He then who has not seen this is an ignorant man; but he who has seen it and does not fly to this refuge is unhappy.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.48, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/8.48
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesYour reasoning mind cannot be defeated if it stays collected and does only what it chooses, and even sheer stubbornness is enough to hold it. A mind free of turbulent emotion is a fortress that cannot be taken, so anyone who knows this and does not retreat into it is needlessly unhappy.
Older wording
- “citadel”
- — a fortress
- “inexpugnable”
- — impossible to conquer
- “ruling faculty”
- — your reasoning mind
Themes and situations
- Peace of mind
- What is in our control
- Emotions and the passions
- Resilience and endurance
- Anxiety about the future
- Burnout and overwork
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