Marcus Aurelius · 121–180 CE
Meditations 9.30 — Marcus Aurelius
Translation by George Long (1862)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.30
Look down from above on the countless herds of men and their countless solemnities, and the infinitely varied voyagings in storms and calms, and the differences among those who are born, who live together, and die. And consider, too, the life lived by others in olden time, and the life of those who will live after thee, and the life now lived among barbarous nations, and how many know not even thy name, and how many will soon forget it, and how they who perhaps now are praising thee will very soon blame thee, and that neither a posthumous name is of any value, nor reputation, nor anything else.
Cite this passage
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.30, tr. George Long (1862)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/meditations/9.30
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, tr. George Long (1862). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesZoom out and look at the countless crowds, customs and lives across the world and through history. Most people have never heard of you, most who will hear of you will soon forget, and those praising you now may soon blame you, so fame and posthumous reputation are worth nothing.
Older wording
- “solemnities”
- — ceremonies and public rituals
- “posthumous name”
- — your reputation after death
Themes and situations
- Reputation and others' opinions
- Change and impermanence
- Time and the present
- Death and mortality
- Handling success
- Being criticised or insulted
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