Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §8.43.1

A Healthy Ruling Faculty and Benevolence toward All

Passage 314 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author notes that while different things delight different people, his own true delight consists in maintaining a healthy ruling centre that welcomes all people and events with benevolence.

§8.43.1Εὐφραίνει ἄλλον ἄλλο, ἐμὲ δέ, ἐὰν ὑγιὲς ἔχω τὸ ἡγεμονικόν, μὴ ἀποστρεφόμενον μήτε ἄνθρωπόν τινα μήτε τι τῶν ἀνθρώποις συμβαινόντων, ἀλλὰ πᾶν εὐμενέσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρῶν τε καὶ δεχόμενον καὶ χρώμενον ἑκάστῳ κατ̓ ἀξίαν.
Different things delight different people; but as for me, if I keep my ruling centre healthy, neither turning away from any human being nor from any of the things that happen to human beings, but looking on all with kindly eyes, and welcoming and using each according to its worth, [that is my delight].

Notes

  1. §8.43.1ἐμὲ δέ — The verb `εὐφραίνει` (delights) from the preceding clause is understood, yielding the structure: "but [it delights] me, if I keep my ruling centre healthy..."
  2. §8.43.1μὴ ἀποστρεφόμενον — This participle, along with the subsequent `ὁρῶν`, `δεχόμενον`, and `χρώμενον`, is neuter singular accusative, agreeing with `τὸ ἡγεμονικόν`. Although `ὁρῶν` appears identical to the masculine singular nominative, it is here the contracted form of the neuter singular accusative (`ὁράον`), establishing grammatical agreement across all the participles.

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §8.43.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.43.1

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