Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §12.6.1

Practicing Even What Seems Impossible through Habit

Passage 457 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author advises practicing even what one despairs of accomplishing, citing the example of the left hand, which is otherwise useless but holds the bridle more firmly than the right due to practice.

§12.6.1Ἔθιζε καὶ ὅσα ἀπογινώσκεις.
Practice even those things which you despair of accomplishing.
καὶ γὰρ ἡ χεὶρ ἡ ἀριστερὰ πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα διὰ τὸ ἀνέθιστον ἀργὸς οὖσα τοῦ χαλινοῦ ἐρρωμενέστερον ἢ ἡ δεξιὰ κρατεῖ· τοῦτο γὰρ εἴθισται.
For even the left hand, which for other things is useless because it is unaccustomed, holds the bridle more firmly than the right, because it has been accustomed to this.

Notes

  1. §12.6.1Ἔθιζε — Present active imperative second-person singular of ἐθίζω (to accustom). The reflexive pronoun in the accusative (σεαυτόν) is omitted, rendering the meaning reflexive: 'accustom yourself' or 'practice.'
  2. §12.6.1ὅσα ἀπογινώσκεις — A relative clause consisting of the relative pronoun ὅσα (all those things which) and the verb ἀπογινώσκω, used here in the sense of 'to despair of' or 'to give up hope of accomplishing.' The entire clause functions as the object of Ἔθιζε.
  3. §12.6.1τοῦ χαλινοῦ — Genitive singular of χαλινός (bridle), governed by the following verb κρατεῖ (holds, grasps), which takes a genitive object. It is placed early in the sentence to emphasize the contrast.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §12.6.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:12.6.1

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