Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §9.26.1

Ending Inner Sufferings Caused by Discontent with the Ruling Centre

Passage 358 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author reflects on having endured countless sufferings due to dissatisfaction with the ruling centre's natural functioning, and urges an end to this state.

§9.26.1Ἀνέτλης μύρια διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀρκεῖσθαι τῷ σῷ ἡγεμονικῷ ποιοῦντι ταῦτα, οἷα κατεσκεύασται.

You have endured countless troubles because you were not satisfied with your ruling centre performing those actions for which it was naturally constituted.

ἀλλὰ ἅλις.

But enough!

Notes

9.26.1ἀρκεῖσθαι τῷ σῷ ἡγεμονικῷ ποιοῦντι ταῦτα — The middle-passive verb ἀρκέομαι ('to be satisfied with') governs the dative τῷ σῷ ἡγεμονικῷ, which is modified by the participle ποιοῦντι, representing a subject-predicate relation: 'with your ruling centre performing...'.
9.26.1οἷα κατεσκεύασται — Composed of the relative pronoun in the neuter plural (used adverbially or appositively) and the third-person singular perfect passive of κατασκευάζω ('to construct, constitute'). It means 'in the way it has been constituted' (with the ruling centre as the implied subject of the verb) or refers to ταῦτα ('such things as they are constituted').

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §9.26.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.26.1

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