Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §2.8.1

Observing One's Own Soul Rather Than Others'

Passage 25 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author warns that while failing to observe what happens in another's soul rarely makes one unhappy, those who fail to attend to the movements of their own souls must inevitably be unhappy.

§2.8.1Παρὰ μὲν τὸ μὴ ἐφιστάνειν, τί ἐν τῇ ἄλλου ψυχῇ γίνεται, οὐ ῥᾳδίως τις ὤφθη κακοδαιμονῶν· τοὺς δὲ τοῖς τῆς ἰδίας ψυχῆς κινήμασι μὴ παρακολουθοῦντας ἀνάγκη κακοδαιμονεῖν.
On account of not observing what is passing in another's soul, a man is rarely seen to be unhappy; but those who do not attend to the movements of their own souls must of necessity be unhappy.

Notes

  1. §2.8.1Παρὰ μὲν τὸ μὴ ἐφιστάνειν — The preposition παρά with the accusative indicates cause ("on account of", "by reason of"). The verb ἐφιστάνειν is used intransitively, or with τὸν νοῦν (the mind/attention) understood, meaning "to direct one's attention to," taking the following indirect question (τί...) as its object.
  2. §2.8.1ὤφθη κακοδαιμονῶν — The passive aorist third-person singular of ὁράω (ὤφθη) is paired with the nominative participle κακοδαιμονῶν acting as a predicative participle ("is seen/found to be unhappy"). Together with the negative οὐ and the adverb ῥᾳδίως (easily), it means "rarely is anyone seen to be unhappy."
  3. §2.8.1τοὺς δὲ τοῖς τῆς ἰδίας ψυχῆς κινήμασι μὴ παρακολουθοῦντας ἀνάγκη κακοδαιμονεῖν — The impersonal expression ἀνάγκη [ἐστί] (it is necessary/inevitable) governs an accusative and infinitive construction. The accusative plural participle τοὺς... μὴ παρακολουθοῦντας (those who do not attend) serves as the subject of the infinitive κακοδαιμονεῖν.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §2.8.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.8.1

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