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Chapter six of the Meditations of Marcus
Aurelius. This is a LibriVox recording.

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All LibriVox recordings are in the public
domain. For more information or to volunteer,

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please visit LibriVox dot org. The
Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius

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Antoninus, translated by George Long,
Chapter six. The substance of the universe

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is obedient and compliant, and the
reason which governs it has in itself no

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CAUs for doing evil, for it
has no malice, nor does it do

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evil to anything, nor is anything
harmed by it. But all things are

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made and perfected according to this reason. Let it make no difference to THEE

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whether thou art cold or warm,
if thou art doing thy duty, and

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whether thou art drowsy or satisfied with
sleep, and whether ill spoken or praised,

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and whether dying or doing something else, For it is one of the

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acts of this life, this act
which we die. It is sufficient then

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in this act also to do well
what we have in hand. Look within,

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Let neither the peculiar quality of anything, nor its value escape THEE.

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All existing things soon change, and
they will either be reduced to vapor if

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indeed all substance is won, or
they will be dispersed. The reason which

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governance knows what its own disposition is, and what it does, and on

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what material it works. The best
way of avenging thyself is not to become

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like the wrongdoer. Take pleasure in
one thing and rest in it in passing

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from one social act to another social
act. Thinking of God, the ruling

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principle is that which rouses and turns
itself. And while it makes itself such

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as it is and such as it
wills to be, it also makes everything

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which happens to appear itself to be
such as it wills. In conformity to

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the nature of the universe, every
single thing is accomplished. For certainly it

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is not in conformity to any other
nature that each thing is accomplished. Either

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a nature which externally comprehends this,
or a nature which is comprehended within this

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nature, or a nature external and
independent of this. The universe is either

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a confusion and a mutual involution of
things and a dispersion, or it is

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unity and order and providence. If
then it is the former, why do

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I desire to tarry in a fortuitous
combination of things in such a disorder,

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And why do I care about anything
else than how I shall at last become

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earth? And why am I disturbed? For the dispersion of my elements will

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happen whatever I do. But if
the other supposition is true, I venerate,

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and I am firm, and I
trust in him who governs. When

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thou hast been compelled by circumstances to
be disturbed in a manner, quickly return

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to thyself, and do not continue
out of tune longer than the compulsion lasts,

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For thou wilt have more mastery over
the harmony by continually recurring to it.

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If thou hadst a stepmother and a
mother at the same time, thou

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wouldst be dutiful to thy stepmother,
that thou wouldst constantly return to thy mother.

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Let the court and philosophy now be
to thee stepmother and mother. Return

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to philosophy frequently, and repose in
her through whom. What thou meetest with

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in the court appears to thee tolerable, and thou appearest tolerable in the court.

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When we have meat before us in
such eatables, we receive the impression

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that this is the dead body of
a fish, and this is the dead

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body of a bird, or of
a pig. And again that this pillernian

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is only a little grape juice,
and this purple robes some sheep's wool dyed

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with the blood of a shellfish.
Such then are these impressions, And they

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reach the things themselves and penetrate them. And so we see what kind of

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things they are. Just in the
same way ought we to act all through

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life. And where there are things
which appear most worthy of our approbation,

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we ought to lay them bare,
and look at their worthlessness, and strip

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them of all the words by which
they are exalted. For outward show is

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a wonderful perverter of the reason.
And when thou art most sure that thou

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art employed about things worth thy pains, it is then that it cheats thee

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most. Consider then, what Crates
says of Xenocrates himself. Most of the

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things which the multitude admire are referred
to objects of the most general kind,

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those which are held together by cohesion
or natural organization, such as stones,

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wood, fig trees, vines,
olives. But those which are admired by

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men who are little more reasonable are
referred to the things which are held together

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by a living principle, as flocks
herds. Those which are admired by men

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who are still more instructed. Are
the things which are held together by a

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rational soul. Not, however,
a universal soul irrational so far as it

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is a soul skilled in some art, or expert in some other way,

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or simply rational so far as it
possesses a number of slaves. But he

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who values a rational soul the sole, universal and fitted for political life,

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regards nothing else except this, and
above all things. He keeps his soul

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in a condition and in an actively
conformable to reason and social life, and

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he cooperates to this end with those
who are of the same kind as himself.

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Some things are hurrying into existence,
others are hurrying out of it.

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And of that which is coming into
existence, part is already extinguished. Motions

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and changes are continually renewing the world, such as the uninterrupted course of time

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is always renewing, the infinite duration
of ages in this flowing stream, Then,

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on which there is no abiding,
what is there of the things which

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hurry by on which a man would
set a high price. It would be

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just as if a man should fall
in love with one of the sparrows which

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fly by, but it is already
passed out of sight. Something of this

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kind is the very life of every
man, Like the exhalation of the blood

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and the respiration of the air,
such as it is to once have drawn

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in the air, and to have
given it back, which we do every

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moment. Just the same is it
with the whole respiratory power which thou didst

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receive at thy birth yesterday and the
day before, to give it back to

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the elemental from which thou didst first
draw it. Neither is transpiration as in

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plants a thing to be valued,
nor respiration as in domesticated animals wild beasts,

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Nor the receiving of impressions by the
appearances of things, nor being moved

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by desires as puppets by strings,
nor assembling in herds, nor being nourished

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by food, For this is just
like the act of separating, imparting with

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the useless part of the food.
What then, is worth being valued to

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be received with clapping of hands.
No neither must we value the clapping of

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tongues, for the praise which comes
from the many is the clapping of tongues.

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Suppose then, that thou hast given
up this worthless thing called fame.

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What remains that is worth valuing?
This, in my opinion, to move

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thyself and to restrain thyself in conformity
to thy proper constitution, to which end

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both all employments and arts lead.
For every art aims at this, that

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the thing which has been made should
be adapted to the work for which it

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has been made. In both the
vine planner who looks after the vine and

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the horse breaker, and he who
trains thede seeks de end. But the

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education in the teaching of youth aim
at something. And this then is the

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value of the education and the teaching. And if this is well, thou

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wilt not seek anything else. Wilt
thou not cease to value many other things

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too? Then thou wilt neither be
free nor sufficient for thy own happiness,

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nor without passion. For of necessity, Thou must be envious, jealous,

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and suspicious of those who can take
away those things, and plot against those

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who have that which is valued by
thee of necessity. A man must be

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altogether in a state of perturbation who
wants any of these things, And besides

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he must often find fault with the
gods. But to reverence and honor thy

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own mind will make THEE content with
thyself and in harmony with society, and

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agreement with the gods. That is, praising all that they give and have

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ordered. Above below all around are
the movements of the elements. But the

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motion of virtue is in none of
these. It is something more divine and

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advancing. By a way hardly observed, it goes happily on its road.

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How strangely men act. They will
not praise those who are living at the

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same time and living with themselves,
but to be themselves praised by posterity,

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by those whom they have never seen
or will ever see. This they set

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much value on. But this is
very much the same as if thou shouldest

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be grieved because those who have lived
before THEE did not praise THEE. If

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a thing is difficult to be accomplished
by thyself, do not think that it

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is impossible for man. But if
anything is possible for man and conformable to

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his nature, think that this can
be attained by thyself too. In the

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gymnastic exercises, suppose that a man
has torn THEE with his nails, and

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by dashing against thy head, has
inflicted a wound. Well, we neither

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show any signs of vexation, nor
are we offended, nor do we suspect

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him afterward as a treacherous fellow.
And yet we are on our guard against

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him, not however, as an
enemy, nor with suspicion. But we

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quietly get out of his way.
Something like this. Let their behavior be

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in all other parts of life.
Let us overlook many things in those who

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are like antagonists in the gymnasium.
For it is in our power, as

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I said, to get out of
the way and to have no suspicion or

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hatred. If a man is able
to convince me and show me that he

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do not think or act right,
I will gladly change. For I seek

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the truth by which no man was
ever injured. But he is injured who

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abides in his error and ignorance.
I do my duty. Other things trouble

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me not, for they are either
things without life, or things without reason,

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or things that have rambled and know
not the way. As to the

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animals, which have no reason,
and generally all things and objects, do

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thou, since thou hast reason and
they have none, make use of them

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with the generous and liberal spirit.
But towards human beings as they have reason,

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behave in a social spirit, and
on all occasions call on the gods.

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And do not perplex thyself about the
length of time in which thou shalt

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do this. For even three hours
so spent are sufficient. Alexander the Macedonian

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and his groom by death were brought
to the same state, for either they

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were received among the same seminable principles
of the universe, or they were alike

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dispersed among the atoms. Consider how
many things in the same indivisible time take

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place in each of us, things
which concern the body, and things which

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concern the soul. And so thou
will not wonder if many more things,

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or rather all things which come into
existence in that which is the one in

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all which we call cosmos, exist
in it. At the same time,

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if any man should propose to thee
the question how the name Antoninus is written?

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Wouldst thou, with the straining of
the voice, utter each letter?

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What? Then if they grow angry? Wilt thou grow angry too? Wilt

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thou not go on with composure and
number every letter? Just so? Then

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is this life? Also? Remember
that every duty is made up of certain

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parts these it is thy duty to
observe, and, without being disturbed or

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showing anger towards those who are angry
with THEE, to go on thy way

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and finish that which is set before
thee. How cool it is not to

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allow men to strive after the things
which appear to them to be suitable to

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thy nature and profitable. Yet in
a manner thou dost not allow them to

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do this when thou art vexed,
because they do wrong. For they are

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certainly moved towards the things which they
suppose them to be suitable to their nature

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and profitable to them. But it
is not so them, then, and

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show them without being angry. Death
is the cessation of the impression through the

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senses, and of the pulling of
the strings which move the appetites, and

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of the discursive movements of the thoughts, and of the service to the flesh.

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It is a shame for the soul
to be the first to give way

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in this life when thy body does
not give way. Take care that thou

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art not made into a caesar,
that thou art not dyed with this die

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for such things happen. Keep thyself, then, simple, good, pure,

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serious, free from affectation, a
friend of justice, a worshiper of

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the gods, kind, affectionate,
strenuous in all proper acts, strive to

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continue to be such as philosophy.
Wish to make thee reverence the gods and

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help men. Short is life,
There is only one fruit in this treened

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life, a pious disay position and
social acts. Do everything as a disciple

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of Antoninus. Remember his constancy in
every act which was conformable to reason,

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and his evenness in all things,
and his piety and the serenity of his

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countenance, and his sweetness, and
his disregard of empty fame, and his

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efforts to understand things, And how
he would never let anything pass without having

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first most carefuably examined it and clearly
understood it, And how he bore with

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those who blamed him unjustly without blaming
them in return, and how he did

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nothing in a hurry, and how
we listened not to calumnies, and how

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exact an examiner of manners and actions
he was, and not given to reproach

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people, nor timid, nor suspicious, nor esophist, And with how little

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he was satisfied, such as lodging, bed, dress, food, servants,

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and how laborious and patient, and
how he was able, on account

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of his sparing diet, to hold
out to the evening without even requiring to

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relieve himself by any evacuations except at
the usual hour, and with his firmness

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and uniformity in his friendships, and
now we tolerated freedom of speech, and

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those who opposed his opinions, and
the pleasure that he had when any man

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showed him anything better, and how
religious he was without superstition. Imitate all

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this, that thou mayst have as
good as conscience when thy last hour comes,

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as he had, return to thy
sober senses, and call thyself back

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when thou hast roused thyself from sleep, and hast perceived that they were only

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dreams which troubled thee. Now in
their waking hours, look at these the

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things about thee, as thou didst
look at those the dreams. I consist

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of a little body and soul.
Now to this little body all things are

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indifferent, For it is not able
to perceive differences, but to the understanding

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those things only are in different which
are not the works of its own activity.

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But whatever things are the works of
its own activity. All these things

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are in its power. And of
these, however, only those which are

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done with reference to the present.
For as to the future and the past

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activities of the mind, even these
are for the present indifferent. Neither the

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labor which the hand does, nor
that of the foot, is contrary to

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nature, so long as the foot
does the foot's work, in the hand

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the hands. So then neither to
a man, as a man is his

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labor contrary to nature, as long
as he does the things of a man.

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But if the labor is not contrary
to his nature, neither is it

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an evil to him? How many
pleasures have been enjoyed by robbers, patricides,

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tyrants. Dost thou not see how
the handicraftsmen accommodate themselves, up to

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a certain point, to those which
are not skilled in their craft. Nevertheless,

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they cling to the reason the principles
of their art, and do not

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endure to depart from it. Is
it not strange if the architect and the

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physicians shall have more respect to the
reason the principles of their own arts,

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than man to his own reason,
which is common to him. In the

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gods, Asia Europe are corners of
the universe, all the sea, a

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drop in the universe, athos a
little clod in the universe. All the

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present time is a point in eternity. All things are little, changeable,

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perishable. All things come from,
thence, from that universal ruling power,

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either directly proceeding or by way of
sequence. And accordingly, the lions,

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gaping jaws, and that which is
poisonous, and every harmful thing as a

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thorn as mud, are after products
of the grand and beautiful. Do not

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imagine then, that they are of
another kind from that which thou dost venerate,

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but form a just opinion of the
source of all. He who has

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seen present things, has seen all, both everything which has taken place from

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all eternity, and everything which will
be for time without end. For all

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things are of one kin and of
one form. Frequently consider the connection of

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all things in the universe and their
relation to one another. For in a

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manner, all things are implicated with
one another, and all in this way

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are friendly to one another. For
one thing comes in order after another,

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and this is by virtue of the
active movement and mutual composition and the unity

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of the substance. Adapt thyself to
the things with which thy lot has been

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cast, and the men among whom
thou hast receive thy portion, love them,

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But do it truly. Every instrument
to vessel, if it does that

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for which it has been made,
is well, And yet he who made

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it is not there. But in
all things which are held together by nature,

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there is within, and there abides
in them the power which made them.

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Wherefore, the more it is fit
to reverence this power, and to

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think that, if thou dost live
and act according to its will, everything

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in THEE is in conformity to intelligence. And thus also in the universe,

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the things which belong to it are
in conformity to intelligence. Whatever of the

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things which are not within thy power
thou shalt suppose to be good for THEE

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or evil. It must of necessity
be that if such a bad thing befal

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THEE, or the loss of such
a good thing, thou wilt blame the

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gods and hate men too, those
who are the cause of the misfortune or

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the loss, or those who are
suspected of being likely to be the cause.

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And indeed we do much injustice because
we make a difference between those things,

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because we do not regard these things
as indifferent. But if we judge

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only those things which are in our
power to be good or bad. There

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remains no reason either for finding fee
with God or standing in a hostile attitude

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to man. We are all working
together to one end, some with knowledge

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and design, and others without knowing
what they do as men, also when

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they are asleep, of whom it
is Heraclius I think, who says that

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there are laborers and co operators in
the things which take place in the universe.

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But men cooperate after different fashions,
and even those co operate abundantly who

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find fault with what happens, and
those who try to oppose it and to

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hinder it. For the universe has
need even of such men as these.

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It remains then for THEE to understand
among what kind of workmen thou placest thyself,

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For he who rules all things will
certainly make a right use of THEE,

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and he will receive THEE among some
part of the co operators and of

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those whose labors conduce to one end. But be not thou such a part

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as the mean and ridiculous verse in
the play which Prysippus speaks of. Does

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the sun undertake to do the work
of the rain? Or is Gulapius the

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work of the fruit bearer. And
how is it with respect to each of

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the stars? Are they not different? And yet they work together to the

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same end. If the gods have
determined about me and about the things which

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must happen to me, they have
determined well, For it is not easy

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even to imagine a deity without forethought. And as to doing me harm,

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why should they have any desire towards
that? For what advantage would result to

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them from this or to the whole, which is the special object of their

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providence. But if they have not
determined about me individually, they have certainly

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determined about the whole at least,
and the things which happen by way of

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sequence in this general arrangement. I
ought to accept with pleasure and to be

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content with them. But if they
determine about nothing, which it is wicked

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to believe, or if we do
believe it, let us neither sacrifice,

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nor pray, nor swear by them, nor do anything else which we do

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as if the gods were present and
lived with us. But if, however,

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the gods determined about none of the
things which concern us, I am

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able to determine about myself and I
can acquire about that which is useful,

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and that is useful to every man, which is conformable to his own constitution

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in nature. But my nature is
rational and social. In my city and

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country, as far as I a
mantoninus is rome. But so far as

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I am a man, it is
the world. The things, then,

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which are useful to these cities,
are alone useful to me. Whatever happens

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to every man, this is for
the interest of the universal. This might

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be sufficient. But further thou wilt
observe this also is a general truth.

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If thou dost observe that whatever is
profitable to any man is profitable also to

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other men. But let the word
profitable be taken here in the common sense

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as set of things of the middle
kind, neither good nor bad, as

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it happens to thee in the amphitheater, in such places that the continual sight

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of the same things and the uniformity
make the spectacle wearisome. So it is

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in the whole of life. For
all things above below are the same,

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and from the same. How long, then think continually that all kinds of

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men, and all kinds of pursuits, and of all nations are dead,

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so that thy thoughts come down even
to Philistian and Phoebus an Oregonian. Now

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turn thy thoughts to the other kinds
of men. To that place, then

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we must remove where there are so
many great orators, so many noble philosophers,

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Heraclitus, Pythagoreas, Socrates, so
many heroes of former days, and

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so many generals after them in tyrants. Besides these Eudosus, Hipparchus, Archimedes,

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and other men of acute natural talents, great minds, lovers of labor,

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versatile, confident mockers, even of
the perishable and effemorable life of man

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as manipous, and such as are
like him. As to all these,

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consider that they have long been in
the dust. What harm, then is

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this to them? And what to
those whose names are altogether unknown? One

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thing here is worth a great deal
to pass thy life in truth and justice,

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with the benevolent disposition, even to
liars and unjust men. Thou art

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not dissatisfied, I suppose, because
thou weighest only so many leader, and

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not three hundred. Be not dissatisfied, then that thou must live only so

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many years, and not more.
For as thou art satisfied with the amount

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of substance which has been assigned to
thee. So be content with the time.

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Let us try to persuade them,
but act even against their will when

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the principles of justice lead that way. If however, any man using forest

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stands in thy way, betake thyself
to contentment and tranquility, and at the

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same time employ the hindrance toward the
exercise of some other virtue. And remember

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that thy attempt was with a reservation
that thou didst not desire to do impossibilities?

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What then, didst thou desire some
such effort as this, that thou

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attainest thy object. If the things
to which thou wast move are accomplished.

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He who loves fame considers another man's
activity to be his own good, and

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he who loves pleasure his own sensations. But he who has understanding considers his

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own acts to be his own good. It is in our power to have

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no opinion about a thing, and
not to be disturbed in our soul,

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for things themselves have no natural power
to form ourudgements. Accustom thyself to attend

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carefully to what is said by another, and as much as it is possible,

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be in the speaker's mind, that
which is not good for the swarm,

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neither is it good for the bee. If sailors abuse the helmsman or

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the sick the doctor, would they
listen to anybody else? And how could

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the helmsman secure the safety of those
in the ship, or the doctor health

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of those whom he attends. How
many, together with whom I came into

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the world are already gone out of
it. To the jaundiced, honey tastes

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bitter, and to those bitten by
mad dogs, water causes fear, and

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to little children the ball is a
fine thing. Why then, am I

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angry? Dost thou think that a
false opinion has less power than the bile

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in the jaundice or the poison in
him who is bitten by a man.

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No man will hinder THEE from living. According to the reason of thy nature,

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nothing will happen to thee country to
the reason of the universal nature.

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What kind of people are those whom
men wish to please? And for what

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objects and by what kinds of acts? How soon time will cover all things?

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And how many it is covered already? End of Chapter six