Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 4.10 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.10
Consider that everything which happens, happens justly, and if thou observest carefully, thou wilt find it to be so. I do not say only with respect to the continuity of the series of things, but with respect to what is just, and as if it were done by one who assigns to each thing its value. Observe then as thou hast begun; and whatever thou doest, do it in conjunction with this, the being good, and in the sense in which a man is properly understood to be good. Keep to this in every action.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.10, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/4.10
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesConsider that everything that happens fits an order in which each thing gets its due, and look closely enough to see it. Whatever you do, do it while also being good in the real sense of the word, and keep to that in every action.
Older wording
- “continuity of the series of things”
- — the unbroken chain of cause and effect
Themes and situations
- Acceptance and fate
- Justice and fairness
- Virtue and character
- Adversity and hardship
- An ethical dilemma
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