Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §5.12.1

Distinction Between Worldly Wealth and True Virtue

Passage 113 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author illustrates the nature of what the majority regards as 'good' using a joke from a comedy, highlighting the distinction between true virtues and worldly wealth, and urges self-reflection on whether material goods should truly be valued.

§5.12.1Ὁποῖά τινά ἐστι τὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς δοκοῦντα ἀγαθά, κἂν ἐντεῦθεν λάβοις.
What kind of things those are which appear good to the many, you can understand even from this.
εἰ γάρ τις ἐπινοήσειεν ὑπάρχοντά τινα ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀγαθά, οἷον φρόνησιν, σωφροσύνην, δικαιοσύνην, ἀνδρείαν, οὐκ ἂν ταῦτα προεπινοήσας ἐπακοῦσαι δυνηθείη τό· ʽὑπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶνʼ, οὐ γὰρ ἐφαρμόσει.
For if one should conceive of certain things which are truly good, such as wisdom, temperance, justice, courage, one could not, having preconceived these, bear to hear the phrase "by reason of his good things," for it will not apply.
τὰ δέ γε τοῖς πολλοῖς φαινόμενα ἀγαθὰ προεπινοήσας τις ἐπακούσεται καὶ ῥᾳδίως δέξεται ὡς οἰκείως ἐπιλεγόμενον τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ κωμικοῦ εἰρημένον.
But if one has preconceived those things which appear good to the many, one will listen to and readily accept what was said by the comic poet as a fitting addition.
οὕτως καὶ οἱ πολλοὶ φαντάζονται τὴν διαφοράν·
Thus even the many perceive the difference.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν τοῦτο μὲν προσέκοπτε καὶ ἀπηξιοῦτο, τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ πλούτου καὶ τῶν πρὸς τρυφὴν ἢ δόξαν εὐκληρημάτων παρεδεχόμεθα ὡς ἱκνουμένως καὶ ἀστείως εἰρημένον.
For otherwise, this former would not offend and be rejected, while we accept the latter, when applied to wealth and the advantages that lead to luxury or fame, as being appropriately and wittily said.
πρόιθι οὖν καὶ ἐρώτα, εἰ τιμητέον καὶ ἀγαθὰ ὑποληπτέον τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὧν προεπινοηθέντων οἰκείως ἂν ἐπιφέροιτο τὸ τὸν κεκτημένον αὐτὰ ὑπὸ τῆς εὐπορίας ʽοὐκ ἔχειν ὅποι χέσῃʼ.
Go on then and ask if we should value and class as good such things, which, when they are preconceived, would make it appropriate to append the saying that their owner, because of his abundance, "has no place where to ease himself."

Notes

  1. 5.12.1ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν — Part of a quotation from a comedy (likely Menander), which presupposes a proverbial joke: "because of so many good things (i.e., wealth), he has no place to ease himself." Marcus points out that the word "good things" (ἀγαθά) is used in a double sense—philosophical "true goods" (virtues) versus popular "goods" (material wealth)—and argues that this joke does not apply (οὐ γὰρ ἐφαρμόσει) to true virtues.
  2. 5.12.1οὐ γὰρ ἂν τοῦτο μὲν προσέκοπτε καὶ ἀπηξιοῦτο, τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ πλούτου καὶ τῶν πρὸς τρυφὴν ἢ δόξαν εὐκληρημάτων παρεδεχόμεθα — A contrary-to-fact conditional sentence using the past indicative (ἄν with προσέκοπτε and παρεδεχόμεθα). It shows the logical structure: "If the common people did not (intuitively) perceive the difference between true goods and worldly goods, the application of the comic joke to the former (virtue) would not offend and be rejected, nor would its application to the latter (wealth) be accepted as appropriate."
  3. 5.12.1ὧν προεπινοηθέντων — A genitive absolute construction with the relative pronoun ὧν as its subject. The antecedent is τὰ τοιαῦτα (such things, i.e., wealth, etc.). It expresses a conditional sense: "if these things are preconceived."
  4. 5.12.1τὸ τὸν κεκτημένον αὐτὰ ὑπὸ τῆς εὐπορίας ʽοὐκ ἔχειν ὅποι χέσῃʼ — The article τό nominalizes the entire infinitive clause (subject: τὸν κεκτημένον αὐτά, infinitive: οὐκ ἔχειν). The phrase ὅποι χέσῃ is a deliberative subjunctive clause meaning "where to ease himself." The whole nominalized clause serves as the subject of the verb ἐπιφέροιτο ("would be appended/applied").

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §5.12.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.12.1

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