Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 11.5 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.5
What is thy art? To be good. And how is this accomplished well except by general principles, some about the nature of the universe, and others about the proper constitution of man?
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.5, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/11.5
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesYour real craft is being a good person, and like any craft it needs sound general principles, some about how the universe works and some about what human beings are for.
Older wording
- “constitution”
- — natural make-up, human nature
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Learning and progress
- Searching for meaning
Quote cards
The opening line of this passage as an image, with its citation — for sharing or keeping.