Plain
Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor

How have you treated the gods so far? How have you treated your parents, your brothers and sisters, your wife, your children? What about your teachers, those who raised you, your friends, your household, your servants? Can you honestly say you have never wronged any of them in word or deed?

Meditations, Book 5, Section 25 Book 5 · 44 of 52
Knowing Yourself Doing The Right Thing
Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor Original

How hast thou carried thyself hitherto towards the Gods? towards thy parents? towards thy brethren? towards thy wife? towards thy children? towards thy masters? thy foster-fathers? thy friends? thy domestics? thy servants? Is it so with thee, that hitherto thou hast neither by word or deed wronged any of them?

Meditations, Book 5, Section 25 Book 5 · 44 of 52
Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor

The rational force that governs the universe exists for community and society. It has made worse things serve the best things. It has joined the best things together in harmony. Don't you see how it has organized everything? How it has given each thing what it deserves? The things that are most excellent — it has united them in mutual agreement.

Meditations, Book 5, Section 24 Book 5 · 43 of 52
Human Nature What Matters Most
Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor Original

That rational essence by which the universe is governed, is for community and society; and therefore hath it both made the things that are worse, for the best, and hath allied and knit together those which are best, as it were in an harmony. Seest thou not how it hath sub-ordinated, and co-ordinated? and how it hath distributed unto everything according to its worth? and those which have the pre-eminency and superiority above all, hath it united together, into a mutual consent and agreement.

Meditations, Book 5, Section 24 Book 5 · 43 of 52
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Ancient philosophy, in plain English.

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