Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §4.24.1

Doing What Is Necessary and Eliminating the Superfluous

Passage 74 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author examines Democritus's dictum "do few things," arguing that true cheerfulness and leisure come from doing what is necessary according to the reason of a social being, rather than merely reducing activity.

§4.24.1ʽὈλίγα πρῆσσε, φησίν, εἰ μέλλεις εὐθυμήσειν. ʼ μήποτε ἄμεινον τἀναγκαῖα πράσσειν καὶ ὅσα ὁ τοῦ φύσει πολιτικοῦ ζῴου λόγος αἱρεῖ καὶ ὡς αἱρεῖ;
"'Do few things,' he says, 'if you would be cheerful.'" But is it not perhaps better to do what is necessary, and as many things as the reason of a being social by nature demands, and in the way it demands?
τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ μόνον τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ καλῶς πράσσειν εὐθυμίαν φέρει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀλίγα πράσσειν.
For this brings not only the cheerfulness that comes from doing well, but also that which comes from doing few things.
τὰ πλεῖστα γὰρ ὧν λέγομεν καὶ πράσσομεν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖα ὄντα ἐάν τις περιέλῃ, εὐσχολώτερος καὶ ἀταρακτότερος ἔσται.
For since most of the things we say and do are not necessary, if one rids oneself of them, one will have more leisure and be less troubled.
ὅθεν δεῖ καὶ παῤ ἕκαστα ἑαυτὸν ὑπομιμνῄσκειν· μήτι τοῦτο τῶν οὐκ ἀναγκαίων; δεῖ δὲ μὴ μόνον πράξεις τὰς μὴ ἀναγκαίας περιαιρεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φαντασίας· οὕτως γὰρ οὐδὲ πράξεις παρέλκουσαι ἐπακολουθήσουσιν.
Wherefore on every occasion one should remind oneself: "Is this not perhaps one of the unnecessary things?" And one must rid oneself not only of unnecessary actions, but also of unnecessary imaginations; for thus no superfluous actions will follow in their train.

Notes

  1. §4.24.1μήποτε — Introduces a tentative question, meaning "is it not perhaps...?", proposing the author's own modification to Democritus's dictum.
  2. §4.24.1τοῦ φύσει πολιτικοῦ ζῴου — The dative φύσει ("by nature") modifies the adjective πολιτικοῦ ("social/political"), recalling the classical definition of human beings as "animals social by nature" since Aristotle.
  3. §4.24.1τὰ πλεῖστα γὰρ ὧν λέγομεν καὶ πράσσομεν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖα ὄντα ἐάν τις περιέλῃ — τὰ πλεῖστα serves as the object of the verb περιέλῃ in the conditional clause, but is anticipated at the beginning of the sentence with the participle ὄντα. The relative pronoun ὧν is attracted to the genitive of its implied antecedent (instead of the accusative ἃ).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §4.24.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.24.1

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