Marcus Aurelius

“Be your own master, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal creature.”

“…praise does not make anything better or worse.”

“Time is like a river made up of the events which happen, and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen, it is carried away, and another comes in its place, and this will be carried away too.”

“Everything of the body is a river. Everything of the soul is dream and vapour. Life is war and the abode of a stranger. The only fame after death is oblivion.”

“The whole universe is change and life itself is but what you deem it.”

“Be not disgusted, nor discouraged, nor dissatisfied, if thou dost not succeed in doing everything according to right principles; but when thou bast failed, return back again, and be content if the greater part of what thou doest is consistent with man's nature, and love this to which thou returnest”

“ما كان يوماُ جَهلُ المرء بما يدور في رءوس الآخرين سبباً للتعاسة والشقاء . أنما الشقي من لا ينتبه إلى خطراتِ عقلهِ هو ، ولا يـهتدي بهديـه وإرشاده”

“Do every act of your life as if it were your last.”

“A Man's life is dyed the color of his imagination.”

“In the human life time is but an instant, and the substance of it a flux, and the perception dull, and the composition of the whole body subject to putrefaction, and the soul a whirl, and fortune hard to divine, and fame a thing devoid of certainty. And, to say all in a word, everything that belongs to the body is a stream, and what belongs to the soul is a dream and vapor, and life is a warfare and a stranger's sojourn, and after- fame is oblivion. What then can guide a man? One thing and only one, philosophy.”

“The world is mere change, and this life, opinion.”

“The happiness of those who want to be popular depends on others; the happiness of those who seek pleasure fluctuates with moods outside their control; but the happiness of the wise grows out of their own free acts.”

“Our inward power, when it obeys nature, reacts to events by accommodating itself to what it faces - to what is possible. It needs no specific material. It pursues its own aims as circumstances allow; it turns obstacles into fuel. As a fire overwhelms what would have quenched a lamp. What's thrown on top of the conflagration is absorbed, consumed by it - and makes it burn still higher.”

“‎"Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial”

“Whenever you want to cheer yourself up, consider the good qualities of your companions, for example, the energy of one, the modesty of another, the generosity of yet another, and some other quality of another; for nothing cheers the heart as much as the images of excellence reflected in the character of our companions, all brought before us as fully as possible. Therefore, keep these images ready at hand.”

“Whether you are shivering with cold or too hot, sleepy or wide awake, spoken well of or badly, dying, or doing anything else, do not let it interfere with doing what is right. For whatever causes us to die is also one of life's processes. Even for this, nothing is required of us than to accomplish well the task at hand.”

“...life is a warfare and a stranger's sojourn, and after-fame is oblivion.”

“When you arise in the moring, think of what a precious privelege it is to be alive-- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love”

“And in the case of superior things like stars, we discover a kind of unity in separation. The higher we rise on the scale of being, the easier it is to discern a connection even among things separated by vast distances.”

“Will any man despise me? Let him see to it. But I will see to it that I may not be found doing or saying anything that deserves to be despised.”

“Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no part of it, for nothing is made worse or better by praise.”

“To refrain from imitation is the best revenge.”

“Everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be.”

“Everything that happens, happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so.”

“As far as you can, get into the habit of asking yourself in relation to any action taken by another: "What is his point of reference here?" But begin with yourself: examine yourself first.”

“No more roundabout discussions of what makes a good man. Be one!”

“Live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.”

“A person's worth is measured by the worth of what he values.”

“Be like the cliff against which the waves continually break; but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.”

“Every living organism is fulfilled when it follows the right path for its own nature.”

“A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.”

“Do not be ashamed of help.”

“Accustom yourself not to be disregarding of what someone else has to say: as far as possible enter into the mind of the speaker.”

“Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretence.”

“How good it is, when you have roast meat or suchlike foods before you, to impress on your mind that this is the dead body of a fish, this the dead body of a bird or pig.”

“He is so rich, he has no room to shit.”

“Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; and if it is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.”

“In everything that you do, pause and ask yourself if death is a dreadful thing because it deprives you of this”

“That which rules within, when it is according to nature, will always adapt itself easily to that which is possible and is presented to it. For it requires no definite material, in moving toward its purpose, but rather certain conditions; and it makes a material for itself out of that which opposes it, as a great fire lays hold of a mass that would have extinguished a tiny flame: when the fire is strong, it soon appropriates to itself the matter that is heaped on it and consumes it, rising higher by means of this very material.”

“Y recuerda que has de tratarles como a hombres, porque son tan humanos como tú y por tanto te resultan tan imprescindibles como la mandíbula inferior lo es para la superior.”

“All of us are creatures of a day; the rememberer and the remembered alike.”

“Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?”

“You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”

“Give up your thirst for books, so that you do not die a grouch.”

“Never forget that the universe is a single living organism possessed of one substance and one soul, holding all things suspended in a single consciousness and creating all things with a single purpose that they might work together spinning and weaving and knotting whatever comes to pass.”

“Swiftly the remembrance of all things is buried in the gulf of eternity.”

“It is a ridiculous thing for a man not to fly from his own badness, which is indeed possible, but to fly from other men's badness, which is impossible.”

“There is no man so blessed that some who stand by his deathbed won't hail the occasion with delight.”

“If you are pained by external things, it is not they that disturb you, but your own judgement of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgement now.”

“When another blames you or hates you, or people voice similar criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that there is no need to be racked with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion about you.”