Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §4.7.1

Eliminating Subjective Opinion to Remove Harm

Passage 57 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that by removing one's subjective opinion, the perception of being harmed, and thus the harm itself, will be eliminated.

§4.7.1Ἆρον τὴν ὑπόληψιν, ἦρται τὸ βέβλαμμαι· ἆρον τὸ βέβλαμμαι, ἦρται ἡ βλάβη.
Take away your opinion, and 'I have been harmed' is taken away; take away 'I have been harmed', and the harm itself is taken away.

Notes

  1. §4.7.1Ἆρον ... ἦρται — The juxtaposition of the aorist imperative (Ἆρον) and the perfect passive indicative (ἦρται) expresses a conditional or causal relationship ("Take away..., and [immediately] ... is taken away"). The perfect tense emphasizes the instantaneous and definitive nature of the consequence.
  2. §4.7.1τὸ βέβλαμμαι — The neuter singular definite article τὸ substantivizes the first-person singular perfect passive indicative verb βέβλαμμαι ("I have been harmed"), meaning "the thought/complaint 'I have been harmed'".

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §4.7.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.7.1

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