Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 8.5 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.5
This is the chief thing: Be not perturbed, for all things are according to the nature of the universal; and in a little time thou wilt be nobody and nowhere, like Hadrian and Augustus. In the next place having fixed thy eyes steadily on thy business look at it, and at the same time remembering that it is thy duty to be a good man, and what man’s nature demands, do that without turning aside; and speak as it seems to thee most just, only let it be with a good disposition and with modesty and without hypocrisy.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.5, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/8.5
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesThe main thing is not to be disturbed, since everything follows the nature of the universe and soon you will be nobody and nowhere, like emperors before you. Keep your eyes on the task, remember your duty to be a good person, do it without swerving, and speak as justly as you can, with goodwill, modesty and honesty.
Older wording
- “perturbed”
- — disturbed, upset
- “disposition”
- — attitude or state of mind
Themes and situations
- Peace of mind
- Death and mortality
- Duty and roles
- Virtue and character
- Acceptance and fate
- Anxiety about the future
- An ethical dilemma
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