Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §6.51.1

Where Lovers of Glory, Pleasure, and Reason Find Good

Passage 188 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Contrasts where the lover of glory, the lover of pleasure, and the man of understanding find their respective goods.

§6.51.1Ὁ μὲν φιλόδοξος ἀλλοτρίαν ἐνέργειαν ἴδιον ἀγαθὸν ὑπολαμβάνει, ὁ δὲ φιλήδονος ἰδίαν πεῖσιν, ὁ δὲ νοῦν ἔχων ἰδίαν πρᾶξιν.
The lover of glory conceives another's activity to be his own good; the lover of pleasure, his own passive experience; but the man of understanding, his own action.

Notes

  1. §6.51.1ἰδίαν πεῖσιν — Meaning "one's own passive experience" or "affection." The noun πεῖσις is derived from πάσχειν (to be affected, to suffer) and refers to the passive sensations or states (such as pleasure) produced by external stimuli.
  2. §6.51.1ὁ δὲ νοῦν ἔχων ἰδίαν πρᾶξιν — In the second clause (ὁ δὲ φιλήδονος...) and the third clause (ὁ δὲ νοῦν ἔχων...), the verb ὑπολαμβάνει (conceives/supposes) and the object complement ἴδιον ἀγαθὸν (his own good) from the first clause are ellipted.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §6.51.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.51.1

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