Meditations

• [...] who know moreover, that this transgressor, whosoever he be, is my kinsman, not by the same blood and seed, but by participation of the same reason, and of the same divine particle; How can I either be hurt by any of those, since it is not in their power to make me incur anything that is truly reproachful?

— I.XV

• [...] and that there is but a certain limit of time appointed unto thee, which if thou shalt not make use of to calm and allay the many distempers of thy soul, it will pass away and thou with it, and never after return.

— II.I

• Every man's happiness depends from himself, but behold thy life is almost at an end, whiles affording thyself no respect, thou dost make thy happiness to consist in the souls, and conceits of other men.

— II.III

• And secondly, that life which any the longest liver, or the shortest liver parts with, is for length and duration the very same, for that only which is present, is that, which either of them can lose, as being that only which they have; for that which he hath not, no man can truly be said to lose.

— II. XII

• [...] to care for all men generally, is agreeing to the nature of a man: but as for honour and praise, that they ought not generally to be admitted and accepted of from all, but from such only, who live according to nature. As for them that do not [...] he therefore regards not such praise and approbation, as proceeding from them, those who cannot like and approve themselves.

— III. IV

• To be cheerful, and to stand in no need, either of other men's help or attendance, or of that rest and tranquility, which thou must be beholding to others for.

- III. VI

• Never esteem of anything as profitable, which shall ever constrain thee either to break thy faith, or to lose thy modesty; to hate any man, to suspect, to curse, to dissemble, to lust after anything, that requireth the secret of walls and veils. But he that preferreth before all things his rational part and spirit [...] he shall never lament and exclaim, never sigh; he shall never want either solitude or company: and which is chiefest of all, he shall live without either desire or fear. And as for life, whether a long or short time he shall enjoy his soul thus compassed about with a body, he is altogether indifferent. For if even now he were to depart, he is ready.

- III. VIII

• [...] And as for thy body, what canst thou fear, if thou dost consider that thy mind and understanding [...] hath in this life and breath no interest at all, but is altogether indifferent.
• [...]
• Consider both how quickly all things that are, are forgotten, and what immense chaos of eternity was before, and will follow after all things.
• [...]
• This world is mere change, and this life, opinion.

- IV. III

• Let opinion be taken away, and no man will think himself wronged. If no man shall think himself wronged, then there is no more any such thing as wrong. That which makes not man himself the worse, cannot make his life the worse, neither can it hurt him either inwardly or outwardly. He was expedient in nature that it should be so, and therefore necessary.

- IV. VII

• These two rules, thou must always have in a readiness. First, do nothing at all, but what reason proceeding from that regal and supreme part, shall for the good and benefit of men, suggest onto thee. And secondly, if any man that is present shall be able to rectify thee or to turn thee from some erroneous persuasion, that thou be always ready to change thy mind, and this change to proceed [...] always from some probably apparent ground of justice.

- IV. X

• Not as though thou hadst thousands of years to live. Death hangs over thee: whilst yet thou livest, whilst thou mayest, be good.

- IV. XIV

• Now much time and leisure doth he gain, who is not curious to know what his neighbour hath said, or hath done, or hath attempted, but only what he doth himself.

- Iv. XV

• He who is greedy of credit and reputation after his death, doth not consider, that they themselves by whom he is remembered, shall soon after every one of them be dead.
• [...]
• As for that which is truly good, what can it be stand in need of more than either justice or truth; or more than either kindness or modesty? Which of all those, either becomes good or fair, because commended, or dispraised suffers any damage? Doth the emerald become worse in itself, or more vile if it be not commended?

- IV. XVI

• Doth any man offend? It is against himself that he doth offend: why should it trouble thee? Hath anything happened unto thee? It is well [...] was destined and appointed unto thee. To comprehend it all in a few words, our life is short; we must endeavour to gain the present time with best discretion and justice.

- IV. XXI

• He blind, who cannot see with the eyes of his understanding. He poor, that stands in need of another, and hath not in himself all things needed for this life. He is an aposteme of the world.

- IV. XXIV

• In the like manner consider other periods, both of times and whole nations, and see how many men, after they had with all their might and main intended and prosecuted some one worldly thing or other did soon after drop away, and were resolved into the elements.

- IV. XXVII

• Those words which once were common and ordinary, are now become obscure and obsolete; and so the names of men once commonly known and famous, are now become in a manner obscure and obsolete names. Camillus, Cieso, Volesius, Leonnatus; not long after, Scipio, Cato, then Augustus, then Adrianus, then Antonius Pius [...] And what is it then that shall always be remembered? all is vanity. What is it that we must bestow our care and diligence upon? even upon this only: that our minds and wills be just; that our actions be charitable.
• [...]
• That our inclination be always set to embrace whatsoever shall happen unto us, as necessary, as usual, as ordinary, as following from such a beginning, and such a foundation, from which both thou thyself and all things are.

- IV. XXVIII

• [...] For that which happens equally to him that lives according to nature, and to him that doth not, is neither according to nature, nor against it; and by consequent, neither good nor bad.

- IV. XXXII

• In the morning when thou findest thyself unwilling to rise, consider with thyself presently, it is to go about a man's work that I am stirred up. Am I then yet unwilling to go about that, for which I myself was born and brought forth into this world?

- V. I

• [...] sincerity, gravity, laboriousness, contempt of pleasures; be not querulous, be content with little, be kind, be free; avoid all superfluity, all vain prattling, be magnanimous. Doest thou not perceive, how many things there be, which notwithstanding any pretence of natural indisposition and unfitness, thou mightest have performed and exhibited, and yet still thou doest voluntarily continue drooping downward?

- V.V