Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §8.40.1

Removing Judgments on Pain and Autonomy of Reason

Passage 311 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that removing one's opinion about what seems to cause pain ensures personal safety, and argues that even if other parts of the self suffer, reason should remain unaffected and let those parts form their own opinions.

§8.40.1Ἐὰν ἀφέλῃς τὴν σὴν ὑπόληψιν περὶ τοῦ λυπεῖν σε δοκοῦντος, αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεστάτῳ ἕστηκας.
If you remove your opinion about that which seems to grieve you, you yourself stand in the safest place.
—τίς αὐτός; —ὁ λόγος. —ἀλλ’ οὐκ εἰμὶ λόγος. —ἔστω.
"Who is 'yourself'?" "Reason." "But I am not reason." "Be it so.
οὐκοῦν ὁ μὲν λόγος αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν μὴ λυπείτω, εἰ δέ τι ἄλλο σοι κακῶς ἔχει, ὑπολαβέτω αὐτὸ περὶ αὑτοῦ.
Let reason itself, then, not grieve itself, and if any other part of you is in a bad state, let it form its own opinion about itself."

Notes

  1. §8.40.1τοῦ λυπεῖν σε δοκοῦντος — A genitive neuter participle phrase serving as the object of the preposition περί. The infinitive λυπεῖν (to grieve) takes the accusative pronoun σε as its object, with the whole phrase meaning 'that which seems to grieve you'.
  2. §8.40.1ἔστω — The third-person singular present imperative of the verb εἶναι. A formulaic expression of concession in dialogue, meaning 'let it be so' or 'be it so', temporarily accepting the interlocutor's statement to proceed with the argument.
  3. §8.40.1ὑπολαβέτω αὐτὸ περὶ αὑτοῦ — The subject neuter pronoun αὐτό refers back to τι ἄλλο (any other part of you, such as the body) from the preceding conditional clause. The reflexive pronoun αὑτοῦ (about itself) also refers to this αὐτό, commanding a strict separation: let that suffering part form its own opinion about itself, while reason remains undisturbed.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §8.40.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.40.1

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