Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §7.31.1

Embracing Simplicity, Loving Mankind, and Following God

Passage 227 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author urges self-adornment with simplicity, love for mankind, and obedience to God, noting that remembering everything is by convention makes what truly matters very small.

§7.31.1Φαίδρυνον σεαυτὸν ἁπλότητι καὶ αἰδοῖ καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας ἀδιαφορίᾳ.
Adorn yourself with simplicity, with decency, and with indifference to what lies between virtue and vice.
φίλησον τὸ ἀνθρώπινον γένος.
Love mankind.
ἀκολούθησον θεῷ.
Follow God.
ἐκεῖνος μέν φησιν ὅτι ʽπάντα νομιστί, ἐτεῇ δὲ μόνα τὰ στοιχεῖαʼ, ἀρκεῖ δὲ μεμνῆσθαι ὅτι τὰ πάντα νομιστὶ ἔχει· ἤδη λίαν ὀλίγα.
That philosopher says, "All is by convention, and in truth only the elements exist," but it is enough to remember that all things are by convention; and that is already very little.

Notes

  1. §7.31.1τῇ πρὸς τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας ἀδιαφορίᾳ — The prepositional phrase πρὸς τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας (towards what lies between virtue and vice) modifies the noun ἀδιαφορίᾳ (indifference). τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον refers to the Stoic concept of "adiaphora" (indifferent things).
  2. §7.31.1τὰ πάντα νομιστὶ ἔχει — The verb ἔχει functions intransitively with the adverb νομιστί (by convention) to mean "is in a state of...". Thus, the phrase means "all things are by convention."
  3. §7.31.1ἤδη λίαν ὀλίγα — A copula such as ἐστί is omitted. If all things are merely by convention (νομιστί), then the things that should concern us are "already very few."

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §7.31.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.31.1

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