Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §2.9.1

The Relation Between Universal Nature and Oneself

Passage 26 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that one must always remember the nature of the universe and of oneself, their relationship, and the fact that no one can prevent one from acting in accordance with nature.

§2.9.1Τούτων ἀεὶ δεῖ μεμνῆσθαι, τίς ἡ τῶν ὅλων φύσις καὶ τίς ἡ ἐμὴ καὶ πῶς αὕτη πρὸς ἐκείνην ἔχουσα καὶ ὁποῖόν τι μέρος ὁποίου τοῦ ὅλου οὖσα καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς ὁ κωλύων τὰ ἀκόλουθα τῇ φύσει, ἧς μέρος εἶ, πράσσειν τε ἀεὶ καὶ λέγειν.
These things you must always bear in mind: what is the nature of the whole, and what is my own, and how this is related to that, and what kind of part it is of what kind of whole, and that there is no one who prevents you from always doing and saying what is in accordance with that nature of which you are a part.

Notes

  1. §2.9.1Τούτων — Genitive case governed by the perfect middle infinitive `μεμνῆσθαι` (with present meaning, "to remember"). The subsequent indirect question clauses (`τίς...`) and the `ὅτι` clause (`ὅτι οὐδεὶς...`) stand in apposition to `Τούτων`, explaining its specific contents.
  2. §2.9.1πῶς αὕτη πρὸς ἐκείνην ἔχουσα — `αὕτη` refers to "my nature" (`ἡ ἐμὴ [φύσις]`), and `ἐκείνην` refers to "the nature of the whole" (`ἡ τῶν ὅλων φύσις`). The participle `ἔχουσα` (along with the following `οὖσα`), with the copula (like `ἐστίν`) omitted or functioning predicatively in the indirect question, describes the state of the subject `αὕτη` ("how this is disposed toward that").
  3. §2.9.1ὁποῖόν τι μέρος ὁποίου τοῦ ὅλου οὖσα — A correlative double-interrogative construction characteristic of Greek, where two interrogative adjectives `ὁποῖόν τι` ("what kind of part") and `ὁποίου` ("of what kind of whole") are used in the same clause, meaning "what kind of part of what kind of whole it is."
  4. §2.9.1οὐδεὶς ὁ κωλύων — Omission of the verb `ἐστίν` ("there is no one who prevents"). The articular participle `ὁ κωλύων` functions substantively and takes the infinitives `πράσσειν τε ἀεὶ καὶ λέγειν` ("to do and to say"), meaning "one who prevents [you] from doing and saying." The accusative subject of the infinitives ("you") is omitted as it is obvious from the context (indicated by `εἶ`).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §2.9.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.9.1

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