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What Would Stoics Do

Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE

Meditations 4.17 — Marcus Aurelius

Translation by George Long (1862)

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.17

Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.17 · tr. George Long (1862)Read in context →

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Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.17, tr. George Long (1862)

https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/4.17

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences

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Do not live as though you have endless time, because death is always hanging over you. While you are alive and able, be good.

Themes and situations

  • Death and mortality
  • Time and the present
  • Virtue and character
  • Preparing for difficulty
  • Procrastination
  • Feeling life is slipping by
  • Fear of death

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Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.17, tr. George Long (1862)