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Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §7.30.1

Attending to Words and Investigating Causes and Effects

Passage 226 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Admonishes to direct one's comprehension along with what is said and to let the mind penetrate into both passive occurrences and active causes.

§7.30.1Συμπαρεκτείνειν τὴν νόησιν τοῖς λεγομένοις.
Extend your comprehension along with what is being said.
εἰσδύεσθαι τὸν νοῦν εἰς τὰ γινόμενα καὶ ποιοῦντα.
Let your mind penetrate into what is happening and what is causing it.

Notes

  1. §7.30.1Συμπαρεκτείνειν — Present active infinitive. Along with the subsequent εἰσδύεσθαι (present middle infinitive), it functions as an imperative infinitive.
  2. §7.30.1τὰ γινόμενα καὶ ποιοῦντα — The former refers to 'what is happening/being produced' (passive/undergoing), and the latter to 'what is causing/acting' (active/agent). It reflects the Stoic distinction between passive and active principles, or phenomena and their underlying causes.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §7.30.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.30.1

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