Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 9.11 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.11
If thou art able, correct by teaching those who do wrong; but if thou canst not, remember that indulgence is given to thee for this purpose. And the gods, too, are indulgent to such persons; and for some purposes they even help them to get health, wealth, reputation; so kind they are. And it is in thy power also; or say, who hinders thee?
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.11, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/9.11
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesIf someone is behaving badly, try to teach them better, and if that fails, remember that patience is the tool you have been given for exactly this. Even the gods are kind to such people, and you can be too, because nothing is stopping you.
Older wording
- “indulgence”
- — patience, tolerance and leniency
Themes and situations
- Kindness and forgiveness
- Anger
- Community and our duty to others
- Being angry with someone
- Conflict at work
- Family conflict
- Everyday irritations
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