Marcus Aurelius was born on April 26, 121, in Rome, Italy. As Emperor of Rome from 161-180, Aurelius kept the empire safe from the Parthians and Germans and was considered to be the last of the five great emperors. He is best known for his stoic philosophy personal writings 'Meditations' - a collection of 12 short books about Self-discipline, guidance, motivation, and self-improvement. To this day, his wisdom inspires many who read his thoughts, and he is still quoted today.
Here are some of his quotes that we found especially beautiful and still relevant to this day.
1. “Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All of these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill... I can neither be harmed by any of them, for no man will involve me in wrong, nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him, for we have come into the world to work together.”
2. “Do not be wise in words - be wise in deeds.”
3. “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
4. “A man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions.”
5. “If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one's own self-deception and ignorance.”
6. “The wise man sees in the misfortune of others what he should avoid.”
7. “It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
8. “Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.”
9. “Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature‘s delight.”
10. “At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work – as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for – the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
11. “Yes, you can, if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable.”
12. “Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power.”
13. “A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.”
14. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
15. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
16. “Pleasures, when they go beyond a certain limit, are but punishments.”
17. “Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.”
18. “Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”
19. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
20. “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.”
21. “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.”
22. “The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.”
23. “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.”
24. “Live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.”
25. “Because most of what we say and do is not essential. Ask yourself at every moment, 'Is this necessary?'”
26. “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.”
27. “How much time he saves who does not look to see what his neighbor says, or does, or thinks.”
28. "Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart."
29. “Why should we feel anger at the world? As if the world would notice?”
30. “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”