Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 12.29 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 12.29
The safety of life is this, to examine everything all through, what it is itself, what is its material, what the formal part; with all thy soul to do justice and to say the truth. What remains except to enjoy life by joining one good thing to another so as not to leave even the smallest intervals between?
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 12.29, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/12.29
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesSecurity in life comes from looking closely at everything to see what it truly is, and from acting justly and telling the truth with your whole heart. After that, enjoy life by stacking one good action on another with no gaps in between.
Older wording
- “formal part”
- — its shape or structure
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Justice and fairness
- Peace of mind
- Time and the present
- Judgements and impressions
- Searching for meaning
- Feeling life is slipping by
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