Meditations"Written in the form of confessions, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius express with great beauty and tenderness the essence of Stoic philosophy. The Stoic, whose life is one of passive, meditative searching for God's truth in nature, feels that God is, ever present, and thus looks on everything and all men as his equals. Marcus Aurelius states that the Stoic lives as if upon a mountain, superior to vanities and expecting very little from his fellow men, but helping and sympathizing with them. We are made for cooperation, like the hands, like the feet. The Stoic does not rail at misfortune, for that would be to criticize God's handiwork. Nor does he seek gratification of ambition, but rather performance of duty, and his end is not happiness, but virtuous tranquility. The Enchiridion (Manual) of Epictetus, included in this volume, exercised a profound influence on the thought of Marcus Aurelius"--Back cover |
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able according activity affected allow animal appear avoid bear become blame body BOOK called carried cause character comes common conformable consider continually contrary dead death desire difference disturbed divine dost thou duty earth endure Epictetus everything evil exist external faculty fall follow give gods hand happens harm hold human intelligence justice keep kind live longer look man's manner matter means mind move nature necessity never object observe occasion opinion pain pass person philosopher pleasure poor possible praise present principles produced proper rational ready reason receive remember respect ruling seek seen short slave social soon soul stand substance suppose thee things thou art thou hast thou shalt thou wilt thoughts thy power thyself tion trouble truth turn understanding universe whole wish worth wrong