Plain
Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor

Don't fool yourself. You will never live long enough to read all those moral commentaries you planned to study. You won't read the histories of famous Romans and Greeks. You won't get through those excerpts from books you've been saving for your old age. Stop putting things off and give up these empty hopes. Help yourself now while you still can, if you truly care about yourself.

Meditations, Book 3, Section 15 Book 3 · 25 of 28
What Matters Most Death & Mortality
Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor Original

Be not deceived; for thou shalt never live to read thy moral commentaries, nor the acts of the famous Romans and Grecians; nor those excerpta from several books; all which thou hadst provided and laid up for thyself against thine old age. Hasten therefore to an end, and giving over all vain hopes, help thyself in time if thou carest for thyself, as thou oughtest to do.

Meditations, Book 3, Section 15 Book 3 · 25 of 28
Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor

Just as doctors and surgeons keep their tools ready for emergencies, you should keep your principles ready for understanding both divine and human matters. Whatever you do, even the smallest things, remember the connection between the divine and the human. You will never succeed in worldly matters without considering God. And you will never succeed in divine matters without considering human things.

Meditations, Book 3, Section 14 Book 3 · 24 of 28
Knowing Yourself Doing The Right Thing
Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor Original

As physicians and chirurgeons have always their instruments ready at hand for all sudden cures; so have thou always thy dogmata in a readiness for the knowledge of things, both divine and human: and whatsoever thou dost, even in the smallest things that thou dost, thou must ever remember that mutual relation, and connection that is between these two things divine, and things human. For without relation unto God, thou shalt never speed in any worldly actions; nor on the other side in any divine, without some respect had to things human.

Meditations, Book 3, Section 14 Book 3 · 24 of 28
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Ancient philosophy, in plain English.

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