Meditations, Book 9, Section 19

Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor

Apply this to a person's life stages: first a child, then a youth, then a young man, then an old man. Every change from one age to another is a kind of death. And in all this, there is nothing to grieve. Now think about the life you lived under your grandfather, then under your mother, then under your father. When you look at your whole life so far, you have seen many changes, many endings, many things that stopped. Ask yourself: what grief or sorrow do you find in any of these? What suffering do any of these bring you? If none of these cause you pain, then neither should the ending of your whole life, which is also just a stopping and a change.

Marcus Aurelius — The Emperor Original

Apply this now to a man's age, as first, a child; then a youth, then a young man, then an old man; every change from one age to another is a kind of death And all this while here no matter of grief yet. Pass now unto that life first, that which thou livedst under thy grandfather, then under thy mother, then under thy father. And thus when through the whole course of thy life hitherto thou hast found and observed many alterations, many changes, many kinds of endings and cessations, put this question to thyself What matter of grief or sorrow dost thou find in any of these? Or what doest thou suffer through any of these? If in none of these, then neither in the ending and consummation of thy whole life, which is also but a cessation and change.