Marcus Aurelius Quotes

When jarred, unavoidably, by circumstance revert at once to yourself and don’t lose the rhythm more than you can help. You’ll have a better grasp of harmony if you keep going back to it.

Stop drifting…Sprint to the finish. Write off your hopes, and if your well-being matters to you, be your own savior while you can.

In the meantime, cling tooth and nail to the following rule: not to give in to adversity, not to trust prosperity, and always take full note of fortune’s habit of behaving just as she pleases.

Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant; all the rest of his life is either past and gone, or not yet revealed. Short, therefore, is man's life, and narrow is the corner of the earth wherein he dwells.

Shrug it all off and wipe it clear—every annoyance and distraction and reach utter stillness.

Remember--your responsibilities can be broken down into individual parts. Concentrate on those, and finish the job methodically--without getting stirred up or meeting anger with anger.

Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging.

When you run up against someone else’s shamelessness, ask yourself this: Is a world without shamelessness possible? No. Then don’t ask the impossible. There have to be shameless people in the world. This is one of them.

To be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over. It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it.

You've endured countless troubles‚ all from not letting your ruling reason do the work it was made for‚ enough already!

Have I done something for the common good? Then I share in its benefits.

You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.

A key point to bear in mind: The value of attentiveness varies in proportion to its object. You're better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.

When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can't tell good from evil.

You can always be content if you continue to make good progress.