Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 3.14 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 3.14
No longer wander at hazard; for neither wilt thou read thy own memoirs, nor the acts of the ancient Romans and Hellenes, and the selections from books which thou wast reserving for thy old age. Hasten then to the end which thou hast before thee, and throwing away idle hopes, come to thy own aid, if thou carest at all for thyself, while it is in thy power.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 3.14, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/3.14
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesStop drifting aimlessly, because you will not get to the books and projects you are saving for later life. Drop empty hopes and start helping yourself now, while you still can.
Older wording
- “at hazard”
- — aimlessly, by chance
- “Hellenes”
- — Greeks
Themes and situations
- Time and the present
- Learning and progress
- Ageing
- Procrastination
- Feeling life is slipping by
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