Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §4.25.1

Testing the Life of the Good Man Content with Fate

Passage 75 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author urges trying out the life of a good man, who is satisfied with what the whole universe allotts to him and content with his own just actions and benevolent disposition, to see how it suits him.

§4.25.1Πείρασον πῶς σοι χωρεῖ καὶ ὁ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἀνθρώπου βίος τοῦ ἀρεσκομένου μὲν τοῖς ἐκ τῶν ὅλων ἀπονεμομένοις, ἀρκουμένου δὲ τῇ ἰδίᾳ πράξει δικαίᾳ καὶ διαθέσει εὐμενεῖ.
Try how the life of the good man also suits you—the man who is satisfied with what is allotted to him from the whole, and content with his own just action and benevolent disposition.

Notes

  1. §4.25.1χωρεῖ — Third-person singular present indicative of the verb χωρέω (to proceed, to turn out, to suit). Here it is used in the sense of 'to suit' or 'to go well with someone,' so πῶς σοι χωρεῖ means 'how it suits you' or 'how it goes with you.'
  2. §4.25.1τοῦ ἀρεσκομένου... ἀρκουμένου — Genitive singular middle/passive participles modifying the genitive noun phrase τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἀνθρώπου ('of the good man') in the preceding phrase. The first participle takes the dative (τοῖς... ἀπονεμομένοις) and the second also takes the dative (τῇ ἰδίᾳ πράξει... καὶ διαθέσει...).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §4.25.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.25.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.