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.
Marcus AureliusRead
Why should anyone be afraid of change? What can take place without it? What can be more pleasing or more suitable to universal nature? Can you take your bath without the firewood undergoing a change? Can you eat without the food undergoing a change? And can anything useful be done without change? Don't you see that for you to change is just the same, and is equally necessary for universal nature?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Change is a natural and necessary aspect of life that should not be feared.
In this quote, Marcus Aurelius emphasizes the inevitability and importance of change in life. He argues that change is fundamental to the existence of everything around us and challenges the notion that we should fear it, highlighting that both personal and universal transformations are essential for growth and progress.
Themes
ChangeNatureGrowthFearTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational talk about embracing new opportunities.
More from Marcus Aurelius
All quotes →You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Marcus AureliusRead
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.
Marcus AureliusRead
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.
Marcus AureliusRead
You don't have to turn this into something. It doesn't have to upset you. Things can't shape our decisions by themselves.
Marcus AureliusRead
A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.
Marcus AureliusRead
Similar quotes
Sometimes there's just no way to hold back the river.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Some believe that the only way to remove the authoritarian regime and replace it with a democratic one is through violent means. I would like to set the precedent of political change through political settlement, not through violence.
Aung San Suu KyiRead
When I stepped away two springs ago, I just really wanted to shift my priorities to be able to be more available and present to show up for things that I felt were mattering more than being a professional athlete.
Maya MooreRead
Change is never easy, and it often creates discord, but when people come together for the good of humanity and the Earth, we can accomplish great things.
David SuzukiRead
The burdens of generations of poverty and powerlessness lie heavy in the fields of America. If we fail, there are those who will see violence as the shortcut to change.
Cesar ChavezRead
Our future is like that of the passengers on a small pleasure boat sailing quietly above the Niagara Falls, not knowing that the engines are about to fail.
James LovelockRead