Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §10.16.1

Stop Debating What a Good Man Is and Be One

Passage 390 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Urges to stop debating what a good man should be like and to simply be such a person.

§10.16.1Μηκέθ’ ὅλως περὶ τοῦ οἷόν τινα εἶναι τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα διαλέγεσθαι, ἀλλὰ εἶναι τοιοῦτον.
No longer discuss at all what a good man should be like, but be such a man.

Notes

  1. 10.16.1διαλέγεσθαι — Present middle-passive infinitive. Together with εἶναι in the latter clause, it is used independently to express a command (imperative infinitive). The negative particle used is μή (μηκέτι).
  2. 10.16.1τοῦ οἷόν τινα εἶναι τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα — An infinitive phrase substantivized by the neuter genitive article τοῦ, serving as the object of the preposition περὶ. The accusative τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα is the subject of the infinitive εἶναι, and οἷόν τινα is its predicate ('what kind of person one is').

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §10.16.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:10.16.1

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