Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 2.7 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.7
Do the things external which fall upon thee distract thee? Give thyself time to learn something new and good, and cease to be whirled around. But then thou must also avoid being carried about the other way. For those too are triflers who have wearied themselves in life by their activity, and yet have no object to which to direct every movement, and, in a word, all their thoughts.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.7, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/2.7
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesWhen outside events pull you in every direction, give yourself time to learn something good, which stops the spinning. The opposite trap is exhausting yourself with constant activity that has no goal behind it.
Older wording
- “triflers”
- — people who waste effort on trivial things
Themes and situations
- Peace of mind
- Time and the present
- Learning and progress
- Emotions and the passions
- Burnout and overwork
- Feeling life is slipping by
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