Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §8.36.1

Focusing on the Present Instead of Life as a Whole

Passage 307 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author advises not to be overwhelmed by imagining the troubles of one's entire life at once, but to limit one's focus to the present moment, reminding oneself that only the present, not the past or future, has power over us.

§8.36.1Μή σε συγχείτω ἡ τοῦ ὅλου βίου φαντασία, μὴ συμπερινόει ἐπίπονα οἷα καὶ ὅσα πιθανὸν ἐπιγεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ καθ’ ἕκαστον τῶν παρόντων ἐπερώτα σεαυτόν· τί τοῦ ἔργου τὸ ἀφόρητον καὶ ἀνύποιστον; αἰσχυνθήσῃ γὰρ ὁμολογῆσαι.
Let not the impression of your whole life confound you, nor combine in your mind all the troublesome things which it is likely will happen; but on every present occasion ask yourself: "What is there in this work that is intolerable and past bearing?" For you will be ashamed to confess.
ἔπειτα ἀναμίμνῃσκε σεαυτὸν ὅτι οὔτε τὸ μέλλον οὔτε τὸ παρῳχηκὸς βαρεῖ σε, ἀλλ’ ἀεὶ τὸ παρόν, τοῦτο δὲ κατασμικρύνεται, ἐὰν αὐτὸ μόνον περιορίσῃς καὶ ἀπελέγχῃς τὴν διάνοιαν, εἰ πρὸς τοῦτο ψιλὸν ἀντέχειν μὴ δύναται.
Next, remind yourself that neither the future nor the past oppresses you, but always the present; and this is reduced to a minimum, if you limit it to itself alone, and chide your mind if it cannot hold out against even this bare thing.

Notes

  1. 8.36.1μὴ συμπερινόει — The verb συμπερινοέω means to conceive in the mind (νοέω) all together (σύν) and thoroughly (περί). It expresses the Stoic injunction against anticipating and compounding future hardships all at once.
  2. 8.36.1τοῦ ἔργου — Partitive genitive, modifying the nominalized adjectives τὸ ἀφόρητον καὶ ἀνύποιστον (the intolerable and unbearable), meaning 'what part of the task (or action) is...'.
  3. 8.36.1ἀπελέγχῃς τὴν διάνοιαν, εἰ πρὸς τοῦτο ψιλὸν ἀντέχειν μὴ δύναται — The conditional clause introduced by εἰ functions as the premise or object of the verb ἀπελέγχῃς (refute, expose, chide). It means that if the mind (διάνοια) is so weak that it cannot hold out against even this bare, single moment of the present (τοῦτο ψιλόν), one should shame or chide it for its weakness.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §8.36.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.36.1

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.