Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 7.51 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.51
With food and drinks and cunning magic arts Turning the channel’s course to ’scape from death. The breeze which heaven has sent We must endure, and toil without complaining.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.51, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/7.51
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesPeople try diets, potions and magic tricks to dodge death, but what fate sends has to be endured. The sensible response is to keep working without complaining.
Older wording
- “toil”
- — work hard
- “cunning magic arts”
- — clever tricks and spells
Themes and situations
- Death and mortality
- Acceptance and fate
- Resilience and endurance
- Adversity and hardship
- Fear of death
- Illness or diagnosis
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