Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §7.73.1

The Folly of Seeking Reward or Praise for Good Deeds

Passage 269 of 486 · Greek

Summary

Explains that when a good deed is done and received, it is foolish to seek a third thing such as reputation or reward.

§7.73.1Ὅταν σὺ εὖ πεποιηκὼς ᾖς καὶ ἄλλος εὖ πεπονθώς, τί ἐπιζητεῖς τρίτον παρὰ ταῦτα, ὥσπερ οἱ μωροί, τὸ καὶ δόξαι εὖ πεποιηκέναι ἢ τὸ ἀμοιβῆς τυχεῖν;
When you have done a good deed and another has received it, why do you seek a third thing besides these, like the foolish, namely, to be thought to have done a good deed, or to receive a return?

Notes

  1. §7.73.1εὖ πεποιηκὼς ᾖς καὶ ἄλλος εὖ πεπονθώς — εὖ πεποιηκὼς ᾖς is a periphrastic perfect active subjunctive of ποιέω. In the second clause, ᾖ is omitted after ἄλλος εὖ πεπονθώς, which consists of the perfect active participle of πάσχω (meaning 'to be well treated' or 'to receive a benefit') forming a similar perfect subjunctive.
  2. §7.73.1τρίτον παρὰ ταῦτα — The preposition παρά governs the accusative ταῦτα, meaning 'beyond' or 'besides'. The demonstrative pronoun ταῦτα (these things) refers to the two prior facts: 'having done a good deed' and 'another having received it'. Seeking a 'third' (τρίτον) thing in addition to these is thus presented as absurd.
  3. §7.73.1τὸ καὶ δόξαι εὖ πεποιηκέναι ἢ τὸ ἀμοιβῆς τυχεῖν — The articular infinitives τὸ δόξαι and τὸ τυχεῖν are connected by the disjunctive particle ἤ (or) and function as an appositive explaining the concrete content of the preceding nominalized adjective τρίτον (a third thing).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §7.73.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.73.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.