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.
Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.
When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love …
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.
Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.
Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.
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.
Here is a rule to remember in future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not “This is misfortune,” but “To bear this worthily is good fortune.
How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbour says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.
Don’t go on discussing what a good person should be. Just be one.
Accept whatever comes to you woven in the pattern of your destiny, for what could more aptly fit your needs?
Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power.
Humans have come into being for the sake of each other, so either teach them, or learn to bear them.
Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.
If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one’s own self-deception and ignorance.
All things of the body stream away like a river, all things of the mind are dreams and delusion; life is warfare, and a visit to a strange land; the only lasting fame is oblivion.
From the philosopher Catulus, never to be dismissive of a friend’s accusation, even if it seems unreasonable, but to make every effort to restore the relationship to its normal condition.
Observe the movements of the stars as if you were running their courses with them, and let your mind constantly dwell on the changes of the elements into each other. Such imaginings wash away the filth of life on the ground.
striid andWthdraw into yourself. Our master-reason asks no more than to act justly, and thereby to achieve calm.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.
For outward show is a wonderful perverter of the reason.
The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts.
As for thy thirst after books, away with it with all speed.
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretence.
That which has died falls not out of the universe. If it stays here, it also changes here, and is dissolved into its proper parts, which are elements of the universe and of thyself. And these too change, and they murmur not”.
We must make haste then, not only because we are daily nearer to death, but also because the conception of things and the understanding of them cease first.
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.
Give up your thirst for books, so that you do not die a grouch.
Observe always that everything is the result of change, and get used to thinking that there is nothing Nature loves so well as to change existing forms and make new ones like them.
That which is really beautiful has no need of anything; not more than law, not more than truth, not more than benevolence or modesty.
You are a little soul carrying about a corpse, as Epictetus used to say.
Your mind will take on the character of your most frequent thoughts: souls are dyed by thoughts.
Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back.
In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present – I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world?
Every living organism is fulfilled when it follows the right path for its own nature.
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
It is not fit that I should give myself pain, for I have never intentionally given pain even to another.
The things you think about determine the quality of your mind.
Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.
Regain your senses, call yourself back, and once again wake up. Now that you realize that only dreams were troubling you, view this ‘reality’ as you view your dreams.
When you arise in the moring, think of what a precious privelege it is to be alive– to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love
No more roundabout discussions of what makes a good man. Be one!
Everything that happens, happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so.
The blazing fire makes flames and brightness out of everything thrown into it.
If something is difficult for you to accomplish, do not then think it impossible for any human being; rather, if it is humanly possible and corresponds to human nature, know that it is attainable by you as well.
Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.
God give me patience, to reconcile with what I am not able to changeGive me strength to change what I canAnd give me wisdom to distinguish one from another.
Even the least of our activities ought to have some end in view.
For it is in your power to retire into yourself whenever you choose.
All things fade into the storied past, and in a little while are shrouded in oblivion.
I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.
It is a ridiculous thing for a man not to fly from his own badness, which is indeed possible, but to fly from other men’s badness, which is impossible.
Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?
Every man is worth just so much as the things about which he busies himself.
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.
A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.
That all is as thinking makes it so – and you control your thinking. So remove your judgements whenever you wish and then there is calm – as the sailor rounding the cape finds smooth water and the welcome of a waveless bay.
Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.
Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good.
Nothing is more scandalous than a man that is proud of his humility.
Will any man despise me? Let him see to it. But I will see to it that I may not be found doing or saying anything that deserves to be despised.
Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.
How good it is, when you have roast meat or suchlike foods before you, to impress on your mind that this is the dead body of a fish, this the dead body of a bird or pig.
Never let the future disturb you – you will meet it with the same weapons of reason and mind that, today, guard you against the present…
If any man despises me, that is his problem. My only concern is not doing or saying anything deserving of contempt.
A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.
When you are disturbed by events and lose your serenity, quickly return to yourself and don’t stay upset longer than the experience lasts; for you’ll have more mastery over your inner harmony by continually returning to it.
Live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.
The pride which is proud of want of pride is the most intolerable of all.
There’s nothing more insufferable than people who boast about their own humility
Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.
Take full account of what Excellencies you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.
Think not so much of what you lack as of what you have: but of the things that you have, select the best, and then reflect on how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them.
Sexual ecstasy is like death. It is one of the secrets of nature’s wisdom.
Be your own master, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal creature.
What am I but a little flesh, a little breath, and the thinking part that rules the whole?
It is in your power to withdraw yourself whenever you desire. Perfect tranquility within consists in the good ordering of the mind, the realm of your own.
All men are made one for another: either then teach them better or bear with them.
It is in your own power to maintain the beauty of your soul, or to be a decent human being.
A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.
The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.
As far as you can, get into the habit of asking yourself in relation to any action taken by another: “What is his point of reference here?” But begin with yourself: examine yourself first.
Accustom yourself not to be disregarding of what someone else has to say: as far as possible enter into the mind of the speaker.
And in the case of superior things like stars, we discover a kind of unity in separation. The higher we rise on the scale of being, the easier it is to discern a connection even among things separated by vast distances.
There is no man so blessed that some who stand by his deathbed won’t hail the occasion with delight.
Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig.
Swiftly the remembrance of all things is buried in the gulf of eternity.
There is nothing more shameful than perfidious friendship.
A key point to bear in mind: The value of attentiveness varies in proportion to its object. You’re better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.
Neither worse then nor better is a thing made by being praised.
Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. Praise is no part of it, for nothing is made worse or better by praise.
You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.
Vex not thy spirit at the course of things they heed not thy vexation. How ludicrous and outlandish is astonishment at anything that may happen in life.
Here is a rule to remember when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not “This is a misfortune ” but “To bear this worthily is good fortune.”
Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live.
Love only what befalls you and is spun for you by fate.
Nothing befalls a man except what is in his nature to endure.
It is not death that a man should fear he should fear never beginning to live.
Why do we shrink from change? What can come into being save by change?
There is change in all things. You yourself are subject to continual change and some decay and this is common to the entire universe.
A man should remove not only unnecessary acts but also unnecessary thoughts for then superfluous activity will not follow.
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.
Nothing befalls a man except what is in his nature to endure.
There is no man so blessed that some who stand by his deathbed won’t hail the occasion with delight.
Time is like a river of fleeting events and its current is strong as soon as something comes into sight it is swept past us and something else takes its place and that too will be swept away.
Consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved.
If you are distressed by anything external the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
Whatever the universal nature assigns to any man at any time is for the good of that man at that time.
Take full account of the excellencies which you possess and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them if you had them not.
Try to live the life of the good man who is more than content with what is allocated to him.
The true worth of a man is to be measured by the objects he pursues.
A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.
A man’s happiness: to do the things proper to man.
The one thing worth living for is to keep one’s soul pure.
To them that ask where have you seen the Gods or how do you know for certain there are Gods that you are so devout in their worship? I answer: Neither have I ever seen my own soul and yet I respect and honor it.
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.
A man’s happiness: to do the things proper to man.
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
I often marvel how it is that though each man loves himself beyond all else he should yet value his own opinion of himself less than that of others.
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.
The art of living is more like that of wrestling than of dancing. The main thing is to stand firm and be ready for an unforeseen attack.
Snow endures but for a season and joy comes with the morning.
To live each day as though one’s last never flustered never apathetic never attitudinizing-here is perfection of character.
Time is a sort of river of passing events and strong is its current no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place and this too will be swept away.
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.
Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts … take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.
Vex not thy spirit at the course of things they heed not thy vexation. How ludicrous and outlandish is astonishment at anything that may happen in life.
This is the chief thing: be not perturbed for all things are according to the nature of the universal.
Let them know a real man who lives as he was meant to live.
What pulls the strings is the force hidden within there lies … the real man.
Look well into thyself there is a source which will always spring up if thou wilt always search there.
Man must be arched and buttressed from within else the temple wavers to dust.
How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks but only at what he does himself to make it just and holy.
Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it if you have to with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.
It is not the weight of the future or the past that is pressing upon you but ever that of the present alone. Even this burden too can be lessened if you confine it strictly to its own limits.
Everyman’s life lies within the present for the past is spent and done with and the future is uncertain.
The sole life which a man can lose is that which he is living at the moment.
The passing minute is every man’s equal possession but what has once gone by is not ours.
Time is a sort of river of passing events and strong is its current no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place and this too will be swept away.
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.
Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Begin – to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished.
Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature’s delight.
That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees.
Despise not death, but welcome it, for nature wills it like all else.
Nothing happens to any man that he is not formed by nature to bear.
Observe constantly that all things take place by change, and accustom thyself to consider that the nature of the Universe loves nothing so much as to change the things which are, and to make new things like them.
Whatever the universal nature assigns to any man at any time is for the good of that man at that time.
Because your own strength is unequal to the task, do not assume that it is beyond the powers of man; but if anything is within the powers and province of man, believe that it is within your own compass also.
Death is a release from the impressions of the senses, and from desires that make us their puppets, and from the vagaries of the mind, and from the hard service of the flesh.
Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.
How much time he saves who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks.
We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne.
Here is the rule to remember in the future, When anything tempts you to be bitter: not, ‘This is a misfortune’ but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.’
Let it be your constant method to look into the design of people’s actions, and see what they would be at, as often as it is practicable; and to make this custom the more significant, practice it first upon yourself.
Aptitude found in the understanding and is often inherited. Genius coming from reason and imagination, rarely.
The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.
When thou art above measure angry, bethink thee how momentary is man’s life.
Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability.
He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.
Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.
Execute every act of thy life as though it were thy last.
Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live.
Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to see whether any shall note it… Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter, and think that even such a result is no trifle.
I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.
Let men see, let them know, a real man, who lives as he was meant to live.
The universe is change our life is what our thoughts make it.
Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.