Meditations, Book 9, Section 7

Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor

Even unreasonable creatures have a kind of soul. So their natural desire for connection is stronger and more intense than what we see in plants, stones, or trees. Among reasonable creatures, we see commonwealths, friendships, families, and public gatherings. Even in their wars, they make agreements and truces. Among creatures of even higher nature — like the stars and planets — though they are far apart from each other by nature, there is still some mutual connection and unity. Excellence has this special quality: it seeks unity. It can create sympathy even between things that are very far apart.

Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor Original

For though but unreasonable, yet a kind of soul these had, and therefore was that natural desire of union more strong and intense in them, as in creatures of a more excellent nature, than either in plants, or stones, or trees. But among reasonable creatures, begun commonwealths, friendships, families, public meetings, and even in their wars, conventions, and truces. Now among them that were yet of a more excellent nature, as the stars and planets, though by their nature far distant one from another, yet even among them began some mutual correspondency and unity. So proper is it to excellency in a high degree to affect unity, as that even in things so far distant, it could operate unto a mutual sympathy.