Marcus Aurelias was a roman emperor and the last of the ‘Five Good Emperors’ whose sovereignty was marked by plague, revolt, warfare, and many more challenges.
Aurelias was among the most beloved roman emperors in olden times. He is mostly remembered for his scholarly nature and his reign driven by reason.
To have a clear understanding of Marcus Aurelias or rather channel the inner roman emperor in you, probe carefully into these top 10 Marcus Aurelias quotes that will help you do just that.
The last decade of his life was quite a predicament with his wife’s death, the uprising of general Cassius, and the recognition that his son, Commodus, wouldn’t turn out to be the man he had hoped.
However, these preceding challenges led to one of the paramount works of ethics, spirituality, and philosophy ever written: Meditations.
Meditations is considered one of the greatest books of all time. It is more of a loose collection of Marcus Aurelia’s Scripts. As much as it wasn’t meant for publication, this gives it an intimate and honest feel.
Although it reads like a journal, it’s much profound than a simple daily account of his life.
One French intellectual, Pierre Hadot, referred to the book’s repetitive entries as “spiritual exercises.” These entries range from one-sentence sayings to short essays.
It’s quite amazing that words written decades ago can still provide incisive and raw wisdom in the 21st Century.
I’m certain the process of writing these quotes will deepen your understanding of them and sharing them with others to help spread this practical and profound wisdom.
So, here are the top 10 Marcus Aurelias quotes from Meditations that, if applied, will change your whole perception of life.
Top 10 Marcus Aurelius Quotes
1. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
2. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
3. “The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.”
4. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
5. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
6. “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
7. “Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”
8. “Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.”
9. “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
10. “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.”
Marcus Aurelius Quotes are Remarkable
I hope these Marcus Aurelias quotes have inspired you to generate your own happiness.
Through Meditations, Marcus offers insightful teachings and advice meant to be practiced and used.
When he speaks of the inevitability of death and how soon it will come, he recommends that this fact advise our way of thinking and decision-making.
Instead of speculating what should be done if either everything is just atoms or a guiding intelligence on earth, he proposes a single outlook that typically follows stoic thinking and further explains why both truths might result in similar best beliefs and actions.
Marcus Aurelias was among the most significant advocates of Stoicism, an idea that stresses self-improvement.
The fact that Marcus goes through some repetitive quotes shows how much of stoicism is being recorded and with similar ideas. Marcus Aurelias’ teachings remain as relevant today as they were nearly 2,000 years ago.
Thus, stop worrying about other people’s opinions, live in the present, be in charge of your thoughts, and pay attention to what you can control.
Which is (are) your favorite Marcus Aurelius quotes?
Did you enjoy these top 10 Marcus Aurelius quotes? Which were your favorite quotes? Feel free to share in the comment section below or with your family and friends.
