Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 8.15 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.15
Remember that as it is a shame to be surprised if the fig-tree produces figs, so it is to be surprised if the world produces such and such things of which it is productive; and for the physician and the helmsman it is a shame to be surprised, if a man has a fever, or if the wind is unfavourable.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.15, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/8.15
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesIt is as silly to be shocked by the world's usual troubles as to be shocked that a fig tree bears figs. A doctor should not be surprised by a fever, nor a ship's pilot by a headwind, so expect ordinary difficulties and be ready for them.
Older wording
- “helmsman”
- — the person steering a ship
Themes and situations
- Acceptance and fate
- Preparing for difficulty
- Adversity and hardship
- Nature and the cosmos
- Everyday irritations
- A career setback
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