Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 8.40 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.40
If thou takest away thy opinion about that which appears to give thee pain, thou thyself standest in perfect security.—Who is this self?—The reason.—But I am not reason.—Be it so. Let then the reason itself not trouble itself. But if any other part of thee suffers, let it have its own opinion about itself.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.40, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/8.40
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesRemove the judgement you attach to something that seems to hurt you and you are perfectly safe, because your true self is your reasoning mind, and it does not have to be upset. If another part of you, such as the body, suffers, let it have its own view while your reason stays calm.
Older wording
- “opinion”
- — judgement or belief about something
Themes and situations
- Judgements and impressions
- Pleasure and pain
- Peace of mind
- Illness and the body
- Illness or diagnosis
- Anxiety about the future
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