These Are Some of My Favorite Quotes from Meditations
A few words with life-changing significance
If you’ve been a follower of this newsletter for a while, then you know how much I adore the masterpiece that is Meditations. In case you aren’t familiar with it, it’s basically the personal journal of Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome from 161-180 CE. The book contains the most intimate thoughts of the most powerful man on the planet during his time. What’s more, all of these thoughts are so incredibly profound and impactful, and remain ever so relevant nearly 2,000 years later. It’s actually so astonishing to think that such a log was never even meant to be read by anyone else’s eyes, let alone published in several languages and interpretations.
Meditations is an extremely straightforward read, mirroring the very philosophy of Stoicism that it draws its ideas from. With most versions being under 200 pages, it is also a very quick read. The book was written while Marcus was stationed in across Eastern Europe during Rome’s military campaigns, which explains the recurring theme of death, mortality, recognition, and overall the impermanence of life. But again, the ideas are timeless and universal, so they are relevant in any setting.
Here are five of my favorite passages from the book. It was no easy task to select just a few of the entries, considering how the entire work an absolute gem, but I selected these based on how direct they are as well as how relevant I’ve noticed them to be in my life. But again, just about every passage is significant in it own right.
*note: the quotes are taken from the Gregory Hays edition.
“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people that I will deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil.”
I’m sure I don’t need to go into too much explaining here. Every day, there’s a virtually guaranteed chance that you will encounter friction of some sort with others. It could be a reckless driver on the road, a meeting with a difficult client, a boss asking for unreasonable results, being left out of plans, short-tempered friends or family, the list goes on. Ultimately, other people are possess their own autonomy, which means their actions will not always line up with your expectations.
“Yes, keep degrading yourself, soul… instead of treating yourself with respect, you have entrusted your own happiness to the souls of others.”
The last point was about how others act in relation to you- this one is about how you act in relation to others. Again, others are in charge of their own actions, so why entrust all your peace to them? They could shatter your trust or happiness entirely as if it were a fragile teacup. This isn’t to say that you should never be vulnerable- far from it, in fact. Vulnerability is a mark of humanity, and Marcus stresses the importance of being human. Just be mindful of the capacity and degree that you choose to entrust these things, and never surrender them to the point where your character is entirely in the hands of someone else.
“How to act- to stand straight up, not straightened.”
It’s a small nuance, but an important one. If you’re straightened, someone or something did that to you, meaning that it wasn’t voluntary. To stand straight up, that is an act of autonomy. It is a deliberate action, a declaration, an assertion. You actively choose to live with your head held high because you decide to, and not because you’re being made to. This is the spirit of a Stoic: purposeful virtue of one’s own accord despite knowing that they don’t have to act that way at all.
“It was for the best, so Nature had no choice but to do it.”
We tend to ponder all the should haves, would haves, and could haves- it’s just a part of the human desire to avoid pain. If things can’t be “perfect” in the real world, they can at least be so in our mind. But in creating these mental scenarios, we further detach ourselves from the life that exists in front of us, creating a wider gap between ourselves and peace.
Accept the cards dealt to you. It is the only possible result that could have happened. Discard any alternatives. What happened has happened because it had to. Whether it’s because of dumb luck, Providence, or simply the odds challenging you, take your pick. Even if you don’t believe this sincerely, here’s something to think about: why not just pretend that it does? Entertain the idea that everything does happen for one reason or another- that mindset makes life much easier.
"If you seek tranquility, do less. Or (more accurately) do what’s essential… which brings a double satisfaction: to do less, better. Because most of what we do and say is not essential.”
It seems like “more, more, more” is the motto for today’s society as a whole. More work. More money. More possessions. So much so that willingly striving for less is seen as some kind of regression. And it absolutely is, but not in a negative aspect at all. There’s nothing wrong with downsizing to a modest apartment because a house is simply too big and requires too much maintenance. You shouldn’t feel bad for taking a pay cut because you need more work-life balance. It’s ok to not have an agenda with 20 things on for every single day. It’s ok to not be one for small talk.
Doing less is at the heart of peace. As the Tao Te Ching says, “when you arrive at non-action, nothing is left undone.”
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I encourage you to start this 2023 by reading this timeless classic. I can attest that stepping into its pages provides a nice change of pace from the daily ongoings of life and grants a temporary refuge. You can get yourself a copy by clicking on this link.
Thanks for reading. The last few months of 2022 were marked by some turbulence in my work life, but I’m excited to resume publishing and continuing to grow this precious community. I have some podcast episodes and articles that I can’t wait to share and I hope you’ll share them too to continue to grow this community.
Happy New Year,
Alan
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