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Marcus Aurelius quotes, checked against the text
Many popular "Marcus Aurelius quotes" are modern paraphrases, composites or lines from other writers. The ten below were checked word for word against George Long's English translation of the Meditations, which is in the public domain. Each gives its book and section so you can find it yourself.
Marcus wrote the Meditations as private notes, not for readers, so the lines are short reminders to himself. They read best one at a time.
On judgment
The most repeated idea in the book is that what troubles us is often our opinion of an event and not the event itself.
“Take away thy opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint, "I have been harmed."”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.7 (George Long translation)
“If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs thee, but thy own judgment about it.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.47 (George Long translation)
On the mind
Marcus treated the mind as something shaped by what it dwells on, and as the one place he could always go.
“Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.16 (George Long translation)
“Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.59 (George Long translation)
On action
He had little patience for describing the good person when he could be one.
“No longer talk at all about the kind of man that a good man ought to be, but be such.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 10.16 (George Long translation)
“If it is not right, do not do it: if it is not true, do not say it.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 12.17 (George Long translation)
“In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present: I am rising to the work of a human being.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.1 (George Long translation)
On living with others
For Marcus, a person is part of a larger whole, and harm to the whole is harm to the part.
“That which is not good for the swarm, neither is it good for the bee.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.54 (George Long translation)
On time
Two short reminders that time is short and attention is the thing to spend well.
“Everything is only for a day, both that which remembers and that which is remembered.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.35 (George Long translation)
“Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.17 (George Long translation)
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Frequently asked questions
Which translation are these quotes from?
George Long's English translation (1862), which is in the public domain and available on Project Gutenberg. Other translations word the same passages differently, so a line you know may read differently here.
Why are some famous Marcus Aurelius quotes missing?
Several popular lines are paraphrases or come from other writers. Our page on misattributed Stoic quotes covers the common ones.
What is the best way to read the Meditations?
A little at a time. Marcus wrote it as private notes, so one section a day works better than reading it straight through.