Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 7.67 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.67
Nature has not so mingled the intelligence with the composition of the body, as not to have allowed thee the power of circumscribing thyself and of bringing under subjection to thyself all that is thy own; for it is very possible to be a divine man and to be recognised as such by no one. Always bear this in mind; and another thing too, that very little indeed is necessary for living a happy life. And because thou hast despaired of becoming a dialectician and skilled in the knowledge of nature, do not for this reason renounce the hope of being both free and modest and social and obedient to God.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.67, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/7.67
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesYou have the power to set boundaries around yourself and govern what is truly yours, and you can be a good person without anyone recognising it. Very little is needed for a happy life, and if you have given up on being a brilliant logician or scientist, you can still aim to be free, modest, sociable and devoted to what is right.
Older wording
- “circumscribing”
- — drawing a boundary around, taking charge of
- “dialectician”
- — an expert in logic and argument
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Simplicity and frugality
- Learning and progress
- Freedom
- Fear of failure
- Money, status and wanting more
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