Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 12.22 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 12.22
Consider that everything is opinion, and opinion is in thy power. Take away then, when thou choosest, thy opinion, and like a mariner, who has doubled the promontory, thou wilt find calm, everything stable, and a waveless bay.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 12.22, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/12.22
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesHow things strike you depends on your judgement, and your judgement is yours to change. Drop the opinion that something is a disaster and you find calm, like a sailor who rounds a headland into a still bay.
Older wording
- “promontory”
- — a headland jutting out into the sea
- “doubled”
- — sailed around
Themes and situations
- Judgements and impressions
- What is in our control
- Peace of mind
- Emotions and the passions
- Anxiety about the future
- Being angry with someone
- Being criticised or insulted
- Everyday irritations
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