Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 9.18 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.18
Penetrate inwards into men’s leading principles, and thou wilt see what judges thou art afraid of, and what kind of judges they are of themselves.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.18, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/9.18
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesLook closely at the values and thinking of the people whose opinion you fear and you will see how poor their judgement is, even of themselves. Their approval or disapproval is not worth being frightened of.
Older wording
- “leading principles”
- — a person's guiding beliefs and values
Themes and situations
- Reputation and others' opinions
- Judgements and impressions
- Insult and criticism
- Fear and anxiety
- Being criticised or insulted
- Nerves before a big moment
- Fear of failure
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