Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 4.45 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.45
In the series of things those which follow are always aptly fitted to those which have gone before; for this series is not like a mere enumeration of disjointed things, which has only a necessary sequence, but it is a rational connection: and as all existing things are arranged together harmoniously, so the things which come into existence exhibit no mere succession, but a certain wonderful relationship.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.45, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/4.45
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesEvents in the world follow one another in a meaningful, fitting order rather than as a random list, because everything is arranged harmoniously. This is a metaphysical claim about an orderly universe with no direct practical advice.
Older wording
- “enumeration”
- — a simple list
Themes and situations
- Nature and the cosmos
- Acceptance and fate
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