Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §6.33.1

Labor in Fulfilling Natural Duty Is Not an Evil

Passage 170 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that just as labor is not contrary to nature for hands and feet as long as they perform their respective duties, so labor is not contrary to nature, and thus not an evil, for a human being who performs human duties.

§6.33.1Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ πόνος τῇ χειρὶ οὐδὲ τῷ ποδὶ παρὰ φύσιν, μέχρις ἂν ποιῇ ὁ ποῦς τὰ τοῦ ποδὸς καὶ ἡ χεὶρ τὰ τῆς χειρός.
Labor is not contrary to nature for the hand or the foot, so long as the foot does the work of the foot and the hand the work of the hand.
οὕτως οὗν οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπῳ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ παρὰ φύσιν ἐστὶν ὁ πόνος, μέχρις ἂν ποιῇ τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
In this way, then, neither is labor contrary to nature for a human being as a human being, so long as he does the work of a human being.
εἰ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ κακόν ἐστιν αὐτῷ.
And if it is not contrary to nature for him, neither is it an evil for him.

Notes

  1. §6.33.1μέχρις ἂν ποιῇ — The combination of μέχρι(ς) ἂν with the subjunctive represents a temporal and conditional limitation, meaning 'so long as' or 'as long as'. Here, it sets the condition that each body part or the human being is performing its respective function or duty.
  2. §6.33.1τὰ τοῦ ποδός — The neuter plural article (τὰ) followed by a genitive (τοῦ ποδός, τῆς χειρός, τοῦ ἀνθρώπου) means 'the things belonging to...' or 'the duties/functions of...'. In this context, it refers to the characteristic activities proper to each organ or being.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §6.33.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.33.1

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