Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 6.12 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.12
If thou hadst a stepmother and a mother at the same time, thou wouldst be dutiful to thy stepmother, but still thou wouldst constantly return to thy mother. Let the court and philosophy now be to thee stepmother and mother: return to philosophy frequently and repose in her, through whom what thou meetest with in the court appears to thee tolerable, and thou appearest tolerable in the court.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.12, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/6.12
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesTreat your demanding public or professional life like a stepmother you dutifully respect, and philosophy like your real mother you keep coming home to. Returning to philosophy often makes the pressures of work bearable and makes you more bearable in them.
Older wording
- “court”
- — the imperial court, meaning your demanding public or professional life
- “repose”
- — rest
Themes and situations
- Learning and progress
- Duty and roles
- Peace of mind
- Ambition and success
- Burnout and overwork
- Conflict at work
- A difficult boss
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