Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 5.26 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.26
Let the part of thy soul which leads and governs be undisturbed by the movements in the flesh, whether of pleasure or of pain; and let it not unite with them, but let it circumscribe itself and limit those affects to their parts. But when these affects rise up to the mind by virtue of that other sympathy that naturally exists in a body which is all one, then thou must not strive to resist the sensation, for it is natural: but let not the ruling part of itself add to the sensation the opinion that it is either good or bad.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.26, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/5.26
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesKeep your reasoning mind steady when the body sends pleasure or pain, and keep those sensations contained to the body. Do not fight the feeling itself, which is natural, but do not add the judgement that it is good or bad.
Older wording
- “ruling part”
- — the reasoning mind that directs you
- “circumscribe”
- — draw a boundary around
- “affects”
- — feelings and sensations
Themes and situations
- Pleasure and pain
- Judgements and impressions
- Illness and the body
- Emotions and the passions
- Illness or diagnosis
- Breaking a bad habit
Quote cards
The opening line of this passage as an image, with its citation — for sharing or keeping.