Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §1.4.1

Private Education and Spending Freely Learned from Great-Grandfather

Passage 4 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author describes what he learned from his great-grandfather: avoiding public schools, employing excellent private teachers at home, and recognizing the need to spend generously on education.

§1.4.1Παρὰ τοῦ προπάππου τὸ μὴ εἰς δημοσίας διατριβὰς φοιτῆσαι καὶ τὸ ἀγαθοῖς διδασκάλοις κατ’ οἶκον χρήσασθαι καὶ τὸ γνῶναι ὅτι εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα δεῖ ἐκτενῶς ἀναλίσκειν.
From my great-grandfather, not to have attended public schools, and to have had good teachers at home, and to have realized that on such things one should spend liberally.

Notes

  1. 1.4.1τὸ μὴ ... φοιτῆσαι καὶ τὸ ... χρήσασθαι καὶ τὸ γνῶναι — This is a syntactic pattern repeated throughout Book 1. The sequence of articular infinitives in the accusative serves as the object representing what was obtained, or as the subject of an implied verb. The governing verb of the sentence (such as ἔμαθον 'I learned' or ὀφείλω 'I owe') is omitted.
  2. 1.4.1ἐκτενῶς — An adverb originally meaning 'stretched out' or 'earnestly.' Here, it modifies the infinitive ἀναλίσκειν (to spend) and is best interpreted as meaning 'liberally' or 'generously.'

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §1.4.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.4.1

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