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Famous lines Marcus Aurelius never wrote
Quote sites credit Marcus Aurelius with many lines that are not in the Meditations. We checked each one below against the complete text of George Long's public-domain translation.
Not finding a line in one translation does not prove it appears in no translation, so we report what we found and claim no more.
"You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
One of the most shared lines credited to Marcus. We could not find it in Long's translation. It resembles a real idea in Meditations 8.47.
“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)
"Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back."
This is a line from the film Gladiator (2000), not a passage from the Meditations. We found nothing like it in Long's text.
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."
Often credited to Marcus. It is not in Long's translation and reads like modern writing. Marcus did write about judgments and impressions, as in 8.47 above.
"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts."
A popular paraphrase, not a quotation. The passage behind it is Meditations 5.16, which says the soul is dyed by its thoughts.
“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)
"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."
Close to the real thing. This popular version is a modern rewording of Meditations 10.16, which in Long's translation reads as follows.
“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)
How to check a quote yourself
- Look for a book and section number. Real quotes have one, such as 8.47.
- Search the exact words in a free public-domain translation.
- Read the lines around it, because the real passage may say something slightly different.
- Be wary of quotes with no source or with modern words such as "perspective".
Put it into practice
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Ask the OracleFrequently asked questions
Does it matter if a quote is misattributed?
A good line is still a good line, but crediting it to someone who never wrote it misleads readers, and the real passage is often richer.
Where can I read the Meditations for free?
Project Gutenberg offers George Long's translation as ebook 15877.