Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 8.26 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.26
It is satisfaction to a man to do the proper works of a man. Now it is a proper work of a man to be benevolent to his own kind, to despise the movements of the senses, to form a just judgement of plausible appearances, and to take a survey of the nature of the universe and of the things which happen in it.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.26, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/8.26
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesPeople find satisfaction in doing what is proper to humans: being good to others, refusing to be ruled by sensory urges, judging convincing-looking impressions carefully, and understanding how the universe works.
Older wording
- “plausible appearances”
- — impressions that seem convincing but may mislead
- “benevolent”
- — kind, well-disposed
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Duty and roles
- Judgements and impressions
- Community and our duty to others
- Searching for meaning
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