Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §8.5.1

Doing Good with Regard to Nature and Brevity of Life

Passage 276 of 486 · Greek

Summary

To maintain peace of mind, the author advises remembering that all conforms to nature and life is brief, urging one to act directly and speak justly as a good human being.

§8.5.1Τὸ πρῶτον μὴ ταράσσου· πάντα γὰρ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ὅλου φύσιν καὶ ὀλίγου χρόνου οὐδεὶς οὐδαμοῦ ἔσῃ, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ Ἁδριανὸς οὐδὲ Αὔγουστος.
First, do not be troubled; for all things are according to the nature of the whole, and in a short time you will be no one anywhere, just as Hadrian and Augustus are not.
ἔπειτα ἀτενίσας εἰς τὸ πρᾶγμα ἴδε αὐτὸ καὶ συμμνημονεύσας ὅτι ἀγαθόν σε ἄνθρωπον εἶναι δεῖ καὶ τί τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἡ φύσις ἀπαιτεῖ, πρᾶξον τοῦτο ἀμεταστρεπτὶ καὶ εἰπέ, ὡς δικαιότατον φαίνεταί σοι· μόνον εὐμενῶς καὶ αἰδημόνως καὶ ἀνυποκρίτως.
Next, looking intently at the matter, see it as it is, and remembering that you must be a good man and what man's nature requires, do this without turning aside, and speak as seems most just to you; only with benevolence, modesty, and sincerity.

Notes

  1. 8.5.1ὀλίγου χρόνου — Genitive of time within which, meaning 'within a short time' or 'soon'.
  2. 8.5.1ἀγαθόν σε ἄνθρωπον εἶναι — An accusative with infinitive clause functioning as the subject of the impersonal verb δεῖ. The accusative pronoun σε is the subject of the infinitive εἶναι, and ἀγαθὸν ἄνθρωπον is its predicate (agreeing in the accusative).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §8.5.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.5.1

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