Calling all lovers of history, philosophy, and inspiring quotes – today, we're diving deep into the wisdom-filled words of one of antiquity's most respected figures. Welcome to our blog article, “50 Wisdom-filled Marcus Aurelius Quotes”. If you've never had the pleasure of exploring Marcus Aurelius' profound thoughts, buckle up, because you're in for a transformative experience. This Roman Emperor's timeless wisdom has been inspiring thinkers and leaders for centuries. And by weaving the story of his life around his most potent quotes, we aim to present a unique perspective on this iconic figure.
Did you know that Marcus Aurelius, apart from being a revered Roman Emperor, was also one of the most important Stoic philosophers? Despite shouldering the enormous responsibility of an empire, he managed to pen down his thoughts on life, death, and everything in between, giving us some of the most thought-provoking Marcus Aurelius quotes. His meditations, composed in the heart of a tumultuous and unstable realm, stood as a beacon of wisdom and resilience, guiding many future generations. So, without further ado, let's dive into the ocean of Marcus Aurelius' intellect and examine the glimmering pearls of wisdom he left behind.
Quotes on Wisdom and Self-reflection
1. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
2. “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
3. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
4. “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.”
5. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
6. “Our life is what our thoughts make it.”
7. “Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if you will ever dig.”
8. “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
9. “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.”
10. “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
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Quotes on Life and Humanity
- “He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.”
- “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.”
- “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.”
- “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
- “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
- “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”
- “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.”
- “Here is a rule to remember in future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not ‘This is misfortune,' but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.'”
- “To live happily is an inward power of the soul.”
- “Each day provides its own gifts.”
Quotes on Courage and Adversity
- “If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.”
- “Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight.”
- “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.”
- “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
- “Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly.”
- “Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.”
- “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.”
- “How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.”
- “It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone.”
- “Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside.”
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Quotes on Mindfulness and Presence
- “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.”
- “When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly.”
- “Do every act of your life as if it were your last.”
- “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.”
- “Time is a river, a violent current of events, glimpsed once and already carried past us, and another follows and is gone.”
- “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.”
- “It is not events that disturb people, it is their judgements concerning them.”
- “Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of time.”
- “You are a little soul carrying around a corpse.”
- “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”
Quotes on Legacy and Morality
- “Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.”
- “What we do now echoes in eternity.”
- “Death smiles at us all, but all a man can do is smile back.”
- “When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one’s energy, that one’s modesty, another’s generosity, and so on. Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we’re practically showered with them.”
- “It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.”
- “Confine yourself to the present.”
- “Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.”
- “The best way to avenge yourself is to not be like that.”
- “Remember: Matter. How tiny your share of it. Time. How brief and fleeting your allotment of it. Fate. How small a role you play in it.”
- “That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees.”
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