Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 5.20 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.20
In one respect man is the nearest thing to me, so far as I must do good to men and endure them. But so far as some men make themselves obstacles to my proper acts, man becomes to me one of the things which are indifferent, no less than the sun or wind or a wild beast. Now it is true that these may impede my action, but they are no impediments to my affects and disposition, which have the power of acting conditionally and changing: for the mind converts and changes every hindrance to its activity into an aid; and so that which is a hindrance is made a furtherance to an act; and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.20, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/5.20
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesOther people are your closest kin, so you owe them help and patience. But when someone blocks what you are trying to do, treat them like weather: they can stop an action, but they cannot touch your attitude or intentions, and your mind can turn any obstacle into fuel.
Older wording
- “indifferent”
- — neither good nor bad in itself, neither helping nor harming your character
- “affects”
- — feelings and inner reactions
- “disposition”
- — your inner attitude
Themes and situations
- Adversity and hardship
- Community and our duty to others
- What is in our control
- Resilience and endurance
- Conflict at work
- A difficult boss
- Everyday irritations
- A career setback
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