Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 7.47 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.47
Look round at the courses of the stars, as if thou wert going along with them; and constantly consider the changes of the elements into one another; for such thoughts purge away the filth of the terrene life.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.47, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/7.47
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesPicture yourself moving along with the stars and keep in mind how the elements keep turning into one another. Thoughts like these wash away the grime and pettiness of everyday earthly life.
Older wording
- “terrene”
- — earthly
- “purge”
- — clean out
Themes and situations
- Nature and the cosmos
- Change and impermanence
- Peace of mind
- Anxiety about the future
- Everyday irritations
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