Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §6.41.1

Judging Only What Is in Our Power as Good or Evil

Passage 178 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author warns that treating things outside of our control as good or bad leads to resentment towards the gods and hatred towards others, and advises that we should judge only what is in our power as good or bad.

§6.41.1Ὅ τι ἂν τῶν ἀπροαιρέτων ὑποστήσῃ σαυτῷ ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν, ἀνάγκη κατὰ τὴν περίπτωσιν τοῦ τοιούτου κακοῦ ἢ τὴν ἀπότευξιν τοῦ τοιούτου ἀγαθοῦ μέμψασθαί σε θεοῖς καὶ ἀνθρώπους δὲ μισῆσαι τοὺς αἰτίους ὄντας ἢ ὑποπτευομένους ἔσεσθαι τῆς ἀποτεύξεως ἢ τῆς περιπτώσεως· καὶ ἀδικοῦμεν δὴ πολλὰ διὰ τὴν πρὸς ταῦτα διαφοράν.

Whatever of those things which are not in our power you assume to be good or bad, it is necessary that, upon your encountering such an evil or failing to obtain such a good, you should blame the gods and also hate those men who are the cause of, or are suspected of being about to be the cause of, this failure or encounter; and indeed we commit many injustices because of our distinction in regard to these things.

ἐὰν δὲ μόνα τὰ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἀγαθὰ καὶ κακὰ κρίνωμεν, οὐδεμία αἰτία καταλείπεται οὔτε θεῷ ἐγκαλέσαι οὔτε πρὸς ἄνθρωπον στῆναι στάσιν πολεμίου.

But if we judge only those things which are in our power to be good and bad, no ground is left either to charge a god or to take the stance of an enemy toward a man.

Notes

6.41.1ὑποστήσῃ — The second-person singular aorist subjunctive middle of ὑφίστημι, used with ὅ τι ἂν to form a general conditional relative clause. Here it means 'to assume' or 'to postulate for oneself', with ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν functioning as its predicative complement.
6.41.1ὑποπτευομένους ἔσεσθαι — The future infinitive ἔσεσθαι ('to be [the cause]') depends on the participle ὑποπτευομένους ('those suspected'). It stands in parallel with τοὺς αἰτίους ὄντας, referring to both those who are actually responsible and those suspected of becoming so.
6.41.1διὰ τὴν πρὸς ταῦτα διαφοράν — The noun διαφορά can mean 'distinction/difference' or 'strife/disagreement'. It can be interpreted either as 'our distinction (valuation) regarding these things' or as 'disputes (with others) over these things'. In this context, the former meaning, referring to our mental bias toward external things, fits best.
6.41.1στῆναι στάσιν — A cognate-like construction where the aorist active infinitive στῆναι (from ἵστημι) is combined with the noun στάσιν (stance, position) to mean 'to take the stance of an enemy'. This infinitive is coordinate with ἐγκαλέσαι, both defining and modifying οὐδεμία αἰτία.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §6.41.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.41.1

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