Everything you’re trying to reach—by taking the long way round—you could have right now, this moment. If you’d only stop thwarting your own attempts.
- Concentrate on living what can be lived—the present moment.
We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own. 1
Now if just and good, it could not be that in the creation of the world, the gods would unjustly or unreasonably oversee anything 2
How happy is man in this his power that hath been granted unto him: that he needs not do anything but what God shall approve, and that he may embrace contentedly, whatsoever God doth send unto him. 3
If it’s an inescapable necessity, why resist it?
If it’s Providence, and admits of being worshipped, then try to be worthy of God’s aid.
If it’s confusion and anarchy, then be grateful that on this raging sea you have a mind to guide you. And if the storm should carry you away, let it carry off flesh, breath and all the rest, but not the mind. Which can’t be swept away.
- Do nothing but that which is necessary. Do that which is for the common good.
If it be not fitting, do it not. If it be not true, speak it not. Ever maintain thine own purpose, and resolution free from all compulsion and necessity.
Remember that all is but opinion, and all opinion depends of the mind.
- Do not be ashamed or fearful of death— we have no control over it 4
No man whensoever he dieth can properly be said to lose any more, than an instant of time.
- Remember the following:
- Your own actions — that they are not in conflict with nature.
- External Events — that they are out of your control.
- That things are transient and in flux.
- That life in itself is transient and meaningless, even if our arrogance says it is not.
For a man to be proud and high conceited, that he is not proud and high conceited, if of all kind of pride and presumption, the most intolerable.
- Even if we may not see God, this does not stop us from revering him. We acknowledge things and concepts we do not see.
To grieve because death deprives us of [life’s pleasures]—is an obstacle.
What is the present estate of my understanding? For herein lieth all indeed. As for all other things ,they are without the compass of mine own will: and if without the compass of my will, then they as dead things unto me.
Can death be terrible to him, to whom that only seems good?
And to be sent away from it, not by a tyrant or a dishonest judge, but by Nature, who first invited you in—why is that so terrible?
The length fixed by the power that directed your creation, and now directs your dissolution. Neither was yours to determine.
So make your exit with grace—the same grace shown to you.
Links
Footnotes
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That said, the opinion of others is often a heuristic. Still, it is best to treat it as one facet of many things. It is only important when we give it importance, and we ought to not let other people control our lives entirely. ↩
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Aurelius’ reasoning is shaky in this part of the book. He reasons that the fact we are arguing about the fairness of the Gods imply that the Gods are indeed fair, yet it is equally possible to come to the conclusion the Gods are unfair. ↩
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Only applies from a deterministic point of view, and assuming that God concerns himself with our lives. It is an entire debate whether or not God is good or simply indifferent. ↩
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Except in the case of suicide ↩