Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 7.56 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.56
Consider thyself to be dead, and to have completed thy life up to the present time; and live according to nature the remainder which is allowed thee.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.56, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/7.56
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesImagine your life is already over, then live whatever time you are still given in line with your nature. Treating the rest of your life as a bonus sharpens what you choose to do with it.
Older wording
- “according to nature”
- — in line with your rational, social nature
Themes and situations
- Death and mortality
- Time and the present
- Preparing for difficulty
- Feeling life is slipping by
- Searching for meaning
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