| 1 Marcus credits virtues learned from family, teachers, philosophy, and gods. 17 11.3 9:25
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| 2 Morning Stoic reflections: face hardship calmly, live by nature’s reason. 17 9.4 7:50
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| 3 Stoic reminders: life is brief; stay rational, pure, dutiful. 16 11.3 9:25
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4 Live by reason, accept fate, act justly, despise fleeting fame. 51 17.2 14:20
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| 1 Adapt to events, using obstacles to achieve higher purpose. |
| 2 Act with purpose and according to perfect principles of art. |
| 3 Retreat within for tranquility, embrace nature's transformations, avoid fame. |
| 4 Common reason, law, and intellect unite humanity and the universe. |
| 5 Death is a natural process, a mystery, not shameful. |
| 6 Accept actions of others, knowing death soon erases all. |
| 7 Remove the opinion of harm, and harm itself vanishes. |
| 8 What doesn't worsen you, doesn't harm you, internally or externally. |
| 9 Universal usefulness compels actions, accept and integrate them. |
| 10 Everything happens justly, in alignment with universal order. |
| 31 Cherish your craft, entrust your fate to the gods. |
| 32 Observe life’s fleeting nature; focus on meaningful actions. |
| 33 Ancient names fade; focus on just thoughts, acts, and words. |
| 34 Accept destiny’s path, spun by the Fates. |
| 35 Life and memory are transient, lasting only a day. |
| 36 Embrace universal change, seeing it as nature’s constant renewal. |
| 37 Seek simplicity, free from perturbations and external influences. |
| 38 Examine wise principles, understand their values and pursuits. |
| 39 Evil lies in opinions, not external events or conditions. |
| 40 Universe is one living being, interconnected and interdependent. |
| 41 Little soul bearing a corpse, as Epictetus used to say. |
| 42 Change is not evil; constancy in change is no good. |
| 43 Time is a river of events, constantly moving and changing. |
| 44 All events are as familiar as spring's roses, summer's fruit. |
| 45 Events follow harmoniously, not just sequentially, within the universe. |
| 46 Heraclitus: Earth's death becomes water, water to air, air fire. |
| 47 Do not fear dying tomorrow; difference is insignificant. |
| 48 Many have died before you; life is ephemeral, insignificant. |
| 49 Be a promontory against waves, firm, unyielding, enduring misfortune nobly. |
| 50 Life is short; value it little, regardless of duration. |
| 51 Follow the natural, short way; act according to reason. |
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| 5 Rise daily, live virtuously, ignore opinions, accept nature’s order. 36 17.9 14:55
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6 Do your duty calmly, live by reason, ignore fleeting externals. 59 18.2 15:10
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| 1 The universe is obedient and compliant, perfecting all things rationally. |
| 2 Duty transcends comfort, praise, and even life; perform it well. |
| 3 Look within; notice the quality and value of everything. |
| 4 All things soon change, reducing to vapor or dispersing. |
| 5 Reason knows its disposition, actions, and materials it works upon. |
| 6 Best revenge is not becoming like the wrongdoer. |
| 7 Find pleasure in moving from one social act to another. |
| 8 The ruling principle shapes itself and its perceptions willingly. |
| 9 All things conform to the universe's nature, not external nature. |
| 10 The universe is unity and order or chaos and dispersion. |
| 11 Quickly return to harmony after disturbances; maintain inner balance. |
| 12 Return frequently to philosophy for solace and clarity. |
| 13 Perceive things as they are; avoid being deceived by appearances. |
| 14 Admire rational souls and live in accordance with reason. |
| 15 Existence is a flow; value only what aligns with nature. |
| 16 Value not the applause of others, but conformity to nature. |
| 17 Virtue's motion is divine, advancing quietly and unnoticed. |
| 18 Seek praise from contemporaries, not from posterity. |
| 19 If possible for man, it is possible for you. |
| 20 Overlook faults, like avoiding antagonists in the gymnasium. |
| 21 Gladly change when shown you are wrong; seek truth. |
| 22 Do your duty; other things are indifferent to you. |
| 23 Use things with a generous spirit, and behave socially. |
| 24 Death equalizes kings and grooms, dispersing them among atoms. |
| 25 Consider many things happen simultaneously within the universe. |
| 26 Perform duties calmly and systematically, without anger or frustration. |
| 27 Allow others to follow their nature without vexation. |
| 28 Death ceases sensory impressions, thoughts, and bodily desires. |
| 29 Soul should not give way when the body does not. |
| 30 Avoid becoming a Caesar; stay simple, just, and rational. |
| 31 Awaken from troubling dreams; view life’s challenges similarly. |
| 32 The body is indifferent; the mind values only its actions. |
| 33 Labor is natural for humans as for hands and feet. |
| 34 Robbers, patricides, and tyrants have enjoyed many pleasures. |
| 35 Respect your rational principles more than craftsmen respect their arts. |
| 36 Universe's elements are small, perishable; everything comes from the source. |
| 37 Seeing present things means seeing all, past and future. |
| 38 Recognize the universe's interconnectedness and the friendly relations within it. |
| 39 Adapt to your circumstances and sincerely love your companions. |
| 40 Reverence the power within; live in conformity to intelligence. |
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7 All is fleeting; stay rational, love others, rest in justice. 75 17.4 14:30
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| 1 Badness: often seen, familiar, short-lived; nothing new, all repetitive. |
| 2 Principles stay alive; impressions extinguish, thoughts can rekindle them. |
| 3 Idle show, stage plays, flocks: stay good-humored amidst these. |
| 4 In discourse, attend; in actions, observe meaning and end. |
| 5 Sufficient understanding? Use it. Insufficient? Retire or seek help. |
| 6 Many celebrated by fame are now forgotten and dead. |
| 7 Accept help; doing duty matters, like soldiers needing assistance. |
| 8 Don't worry about future; same reason helps now. |
| 9 All things interconnected; one universe, god, law, reason, truth. |
| 10 Material fades, forms dissolve, memories overwhelmed by time. |
| 11 For rational beings, same acts align with nature, reason. |
| 12 Be erect, or be made erect by principles. |
| 13 Rational beings exist separately yet cooperate, like body parts. |
| 14 External falls affect feeling parts; mind remains uninjured. |
| 15 Be constant like emerald, unchanging regardless of others. |
| 16 Ruling faculty remains undisturbed; opinions control fear, pain. |
| 17 Happiness: a good daemon. Imagination, leave; I'm not angry. |
| 18 Change is natural; bath, nourishment, everything useful requires change. |
| 19 Universal substance like torrent, uniting bodies, swallowing time. |
| 20 Only concern: acting within human nature's bounds and timing. |
| 21 Forgetfulness of all things and thyself is near. |
| 22 Love wrongdoers; they err ignorantly, unintentionally, without harming you. |
| 23 Universal nature molds, breaks, and reforms everything constantly. |
| 24 Scowling unnatural; repeated, extinguishes comeliness and reason. |
| 25 Nature changes all things, making world ever new. |
| 26 Understand opinions behind wrongdoings; pity, don't be angry. |
| 27 Value what you have; don't overvalue, avoid disturbance. |
| 28 Retreat within; content with justice brings tranquility. |
| 29 Confine to present, understand causes, let wrongs stay where. |
| 30 Focus on what's said and done, understand their causes. |
| 31 Adorn with simplicity, modesty, indifference; love mankind, follow God. |
| 32 Death: dispersion, resolution, extinction, or change. |
| 33 Pain: intolerable kills, lasting is bearable; mind remains tranquil. |
| 34 Fame: consider seekers' minds, cover events like sands. |
| 35 Plato: Elevated mind sees human life and death insignificant. |
| 36 Antisthenes: Royal to do good and endure abuse. |
| 37 Mind should control itself, like face obeys mind. |
| 38 Things don't care if you vex; stay composed. |
| 39 Rejoice, both gods and men. |
| 40 Life reaped like ripe corn: birth, death cycle. |
| 41 Gods' care or reason behind everything, including adversity. |
| 42 Good and just accompany me always. |
| 43 No joining others' wailing, no violent emotion allowed. |
| 44 Plato: Focus on justice, not life or death hazards. |
| 45 Stay at your post, despite dangers; baseness is worse. |
| 46 Good is different from saving life; trust destiny. |
| 47 Contemplate stars, elements' changes, purge life's filth. |
| 48 Plato: View life from higher place, see assemblies, contradictions. |
| 49 Past changes predict future; human life cycles repetitive. |
| 50 Earth returns to earth, heavenly to heavens, dissolved elements. |
| 51 Loving fame means valuing others' activities over one's own understanding. |
| 52 Have no opinions about things; external things can't disturb you. |
| 53 Listen carefully to others, understand their perspective and mind. |
| 54 What's bad for the hive isn't good for the bee. |
| 55 If sailors and patients ignore experts, their safety's compromised. |
| 56 Consider those who entered the world with you are gone. |
| 57 Different perceptions: jaundiced see bitterness, mad dogs fear water. |
| 58 No one stops you from living rationally; universal nature's reasoning. |
| 59 Ponder people's nature and principles, don't blame their mistakes. |
| 60 Many born with you are now gone; reflect on that. |
| 61 Pain is neither intolerable nor everlasting; it has limits. |
| 62 Don't behave inhumanely towards those who act inhumanely. |
| 63 Nature allows intelligence to control body, maintaining personal tranquility. |
| 64 Live freely without compulsion; maintain tranquility despite external chaos. |
| 65 Reflect on past pains and how they didn't harm intelligence. |
| 66 Telauges might be nobler than Socrates despite differing reputations. |
| 67 Live modestly, free, social, and obedient to God; simple life. |
| 68 Live free from compulsion, maintaining tranquil mind despite external chaos. |
| 69 Moral perfection: live each day as the last, without hypocrisy. |
| 70 Gods endure bad people; why can't you, destined for end? |
| 71 Flee own badness, not others'; it's possible to change self. |
| 72 Rational and social faculty judges non-intelligent, non-social as inferior. |
| 73 Good act done, received; don't seek reputation or return. |
| 74 Don't tire of receiving usefulness by acting according to nature. |
| 75 Nature moved to make universe; remember this for tranquility. |
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8 Live rightly, accept change and death, ignore fame, serve mankind. 61 18.1 15:05
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| 1 Live life as nature demands, not seeking empty fame. |
| 2 Consider every act: Will I regret it on my deathbed? |
| 3 Alexander, Caius, Pompeius—slaves compared to Diogenes, Heraclitus, Socrates' understanding. |
| 4 Men will repeat actions, even if you burst with anger. |
| 5 Stay unperturbed, act rightly; soon you'll be gone. |
| 6 Universal nature changes all things, yet nothing truly new. |
| 7 Rational nature thrives by seeking truth, social actions, self-control. |
| 8 Use your time to check arrogance, overcome pleasure, and pain. |
| 9 Don't complain about court life or your own. |
| 10 Repentance is self-reproof for neglecting something useful, not for pleasure. |
| 11 Understand things' nature, substance, cause, and their place in the world. |
| 12 Rise to perform social acts, not just to sleep. |
| 13 Apply principles of Physic, Ethic, and Dialectic to impressions. |
| 14 Consider others' opinions on good and bad; understand their actions. |
| 15 Don't be surprised by the world's natural occurrences, like physicians. |
| 16 Changing your opinion is as free as persisting in error. |
| 17 Correct what you can; blame no one else, not gods. |
| 18 Death is transformation within the universe, elements reconstituted. |
| 19 Everything exists for some purpose; find yours beyond pleasure. |
| 20 Nature considers ends like beginnings, as balls thrown up. |
| 21 Reflect on the body's impermanence and the world's fleeting nature. |
| 22 Focus on current tasks; choose goodness over future improvements. |
| 23 Act for mankind's good; accept events as divinely ordained. |
| 24 Life's parts are like a dirty bath; accept reality. |
| 25 Great figures died, and so will you; life is ephemeral. |
| 26 Man's proper work: be benevolent, despise senses, judge fairly. |
| 27 Relate yourself to your body, the divine, and society. |
| 28 Pain affects body, not soul; maintain serenity and judgment. |
| 29 Remember power over thoughts; maintain inner peace and clarity. |
| 30 Speak plainly, sincerely, without affectation in all interactions. |
| 31 Reflect on entire families' deaths; individual deaths are insignificant. |
| 32 Order your life well; act justly, soberly, and considerately. |
| 33 Receive wealth humbly; be ready to let it go. |
| 34 Being unsocial separates you from nature; reconnect willingly. |
| 35 Universal nature converts hindrances into material for use. |
| 36 Face life's troubles individually; neither future nor past pains. |
| 37 Mourning by tombs doesn't benefit the dead or mourner. |
| 38 Judge wisely, sharply, with understanding and insight into actions. |
| 39 Rational animal virtues: justice and temperance, not pleasure-seeking. |
| 40 Remove opinion of pain; reason stands secure, self-collected. |
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9 Unjust acts harm self; control mind, accept change, live socially. 42 16.9 14:05
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| 1 Unjust actions defy universal nature, acting against divine will and truth. |
| 2 Happiest to depart life free from lying, hypocrisy, and pride. |
| 3 Be content with death, it is a natural operation of life. |
| 4 He who does wrong harms himself, making himself worse. |
| 5 Not doing a necessary action can also be unjust. |
| 6 Present opinion, conduct, and contentment are enough for life. |
| 7 Wipe out imagination, check desire, extinguish appetite, control ruling faculty. |
| 8 Rational animals share one intelligent soul, as others share nature. |
| 9 All things move toward their kind; rational animals seek unity. |
| 10 Man, God, and universe produce fruit in proper seasons. |
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10 Be simple, accept change, follow nature, and quietly do good. 38 18.1 15:05
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| 1 Soul, be good, simple, content, satisfied, harmonious with gods, men. |
| 2 Follow nature's requirements; rational, living, political social animal rules. |
| 3 Bear what happens naturally; opinion makes it endurable or intolerable. |
| 4 Instruct the mistaken kindly; blame yourself if unsuccessful. |
| 5 Everything prepared for you from eternity; woven into being. |
| 6 Remember, part of whole; content with nature's assigned parts. |
| 7 Parts of whole perish naturally; change is necessary and good. |
| 8 Retain virtues: good, modest, rational, equanimous, magnanimous, accepting nature's assignments. |
| 9 Maintain simplicity, knowledge, confidence, dealing with circumstances. |
| 10 Pride is misplaced; robbers examine their own opinions. |
| 21 The earth loves the shower; I love as universe loves. |
| 22 Live here, leave willingly, or die having discharged your duty. |
| 23 This land is like any other; all things similar. |
| 24 Ruling faculty: understanding, social, not fused with the poor flesh. |
| 25 Fleeing from the law is running away; dissatisfied, runaway. |
| 26 Seed, causes, life: observe the hidden power producing things. |
| 27 Consider past, present, future dramas; same forms, different actors. |
| 28 Grieved or discontented man is like a sacrificed pig. |
| 29 Pause: is death dreadful for depriving thee of this? |
| 30 Reflect on your errors when offended by others' faults. |
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11 Rational soul loves truth, ignores externals, perseveres in virtuous good. 39 15.5 12:55
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| 11 Judgment at rest stops pursuits and avoidances disturbances. |
| 12 Soul maintains form, sees truth, avoids contraction and dispersion. |
| 13 Despise me? His issue. I'll avoid contemptible actions. |
| 14 Men despise, flatter, compete, and bow to each other. |
| 15 Dealing fairly shouldn't need announcements; actions reveal character. |
| 16 Soul indifferent to externals, writes judgments within itself. |
| 17 Consider origins, composition, changes, and final state of things. |
| 18 Offended? Reflect on relations, compulsions, and men's ignorance. |
| 19 Guard against unnecessary thoughts, social destruction, untruths, and reproach. |
| 20 Elemental parts obey universal order; intelligent part should too. |
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12 Live rightly now, trust providence, control opinions, accept change. 36 12.5 10:25
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| 1 Arrive by direct road, live now, trust future to providence. |
| 2 God sees ruling principles, rid yourself of material concerns. |
| 3 Composed of body, breath, intelligence; focus on present life. |
| 4 Love self more, value own opinion over others' views. |
| 5 If gods desired it otherwise, they would have done it. |
| 6 Practice even in tasks you despair of accomplishing successfully. |
| 7 Consider condition at death, life's shortness, time's boundless nature. |
| 8 Contemplate principles bare, causes of actions, pain, pleasure, fame. |
| 9 Apply principles like a pancratiast, always ready and prepared. |
| 10 See things' essence: matter, form, purpose. |
| 11 Do only what God approves, accept all given by God. |
| 12 Blame neither gods nor men; both act without malice. |
| 13 Surprise at life events shows unfamiliarity with life's nature. |
| 14 Fatal necessity, providence, or chaos: all guide our actions. |
| 15 Lamp's light shines till extinguished; so should truth, justice. |
| 16 Judge actions cautiously; understand necessity and inherent character. |
| 17 If not right, don't do it; if untrue, don't say. |
| 18 Observe appearances, resolve by formal, material, purpose, time. |
| 19 Perceive higher self, better than emotions and desires. |
| 20 Act with purpose, focus on social end. |
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