Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §3.13.1

Keeping Philosophical Principles at Hand Like a Doctor

Passage 47 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author advises keeping philosophical doctrines ready at hand, just as physicians keep their tools ready, in order to perform all actions with an awareness of the connection between the divine and the human.

§3.13.1Ὥσπερ οἱ ἰατροὶ ἀεὶ τὰ ὄργανα καὶ σιδήρια πρόχειρα ἔχουσι πρὸς τὰ αἰφνίδια τῶν θεραπευμάτων, οὕτω τὰ δόγματα σὺ ἕτοιμα ἔχε πρὸς τὸ τὰ θεῖα καὶ ἀνθρώπινα εἰδέναι, καὶ πᾶν καὶ τὸ μικρότατον οὕτω ποιεῖν ὡς τῆς ἀμφοτέρων πρὸς ἄλληλα συνδέσεως μεμνημένον.
Just as physicians always have their instruments and knives at hand for sudden treatments, so you must keep your doctrines ready for the purpose of knowing both the divine and the human, and of doing everything, even the smallest thing, as one who is mindful of the mutual connection between the two.
οὔτε γὰρ ἀνθρώπινόν τι ἄνευ τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ θεῖα συναναφορᾶς εὖ πράξεις οὔτ̓ ἔμπαλιν.
For you will not perform any human action well without referring it to the divine, nor vice versa.

Notes

  1. §3.13.1μεμνημένον — Accusative singular masculine of the perfect middle/passive participle μεμνημένος, agreeing with the implied accusative subject (σέ) of the infinitive ποιεῖν within the prepositional phrase introduced by πρὸς τὸ. The verb μιμνήσκομαι governs the genitive case, hence τῆς ... συνδέσεως.
  2. §3.13.1εὖ πράξεις — Although εὖ πράττω is commonly used as an intransitive idiom meaning "to fare well" or "to be successful," here it takes the accusative object ἀνθρώπινόν τι and is used transitively in the sense of "to perform well" or "to execute successfully."

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §3.13.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.13.1

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