Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §2.6.1

Admonishing the Soul: Self-Respect Over Others' Minds

Passage 23 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author admonishes his own soul with strong irony to stop abusing itself and start respecting itself, urging that happiness should not be placed in the minds of others but within oneself.

§2.6.1Ὕβριζε, ὕβριζε σεαυτήν, ὦ ψυχή·
Abuse, abuse yourself, O my soul!
τοῦ δὲ τιμῆσαι σεαυτὴν οὐκέτι καιρὸν ἕξεις· εἷς γὰρ ὁ βίος ἑκάστῳ, οὗτος δέ σοι σχεδὸν διήνυσται, μὴ αἰδουμένῃ σεαυτήν, ἀλλ’ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλων ψυχαῖς τιθεμένῃ τὴν σὴν εὐμοιρίαν.
But to honor yourself you will no longer have an opportunity; for each man has but one life, and this of yours is now almost completed, you who do not respect yourself, but place your own happiness in the souls of others.

Notes

  1. §2.6.1Ὕβριζε — Present active imperative. It is used here not as a literal command to abuse oneself, but as a strong irony (antiphrasis) to urge self-reflection.
  2. §2.6.1τοῦ δὲ τιμῆσαι — Articular infinitive in the genitive, modifying the following noun καιρὸν. It means "an opportunity for honoring yourself".
  3. §2.6.1μὴ αἰδουμένῃ ... τιθεμένῃ — Both are feminine singular dative middle participles, agreeing in gender, number, and case with the preceding dative pronoun σοι ("to you / for you"). They describe the circumstance or reason of "you" (you who do not respect yourself, but place your happiness in the souls of others).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §2.6.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.6.1

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