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
The longest-lived and the shortest-lived man, when they come to die, lose one and the same thing.
Interpretation
All people, regardless of their lifespan, ultimately face the same end: death.
This quote by Marcus Aurelius highlights the inevitability of death for all individuals, irrespective of how long they have lived. It invites reflection on the transient nature of life and the equality of human experiences in facing mortality, suggesting that in the end, material accomplishments or length of life hold little significance against the unifying reality of death.
In practice
In a speech about life and priorities, you might say, 'As Marcus Aurelius reminds us, the longest-lived and the shortest-lived man lose the same thing in death.'
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.
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
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.
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.
You don't have to turn this into something. It doesn't have to upset you. Things can't shape our decisions by themselves.
A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.
If we do not use great care to mortify our will, there are many things which can deprives us of the holy freedom of spirit that we are seeking in order to fly more freely to our Creator, without always being bogged down with the clay of this earth. Moreover, there can never be solid virtue in a soul that is attached to its own will.
No written law has ever been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion.
I begin to think, that a calm is not desirable in any situation in life. Man was made for action and for bustle too, I believe.
The collective unconscious consists of the sum of the instincts and their correlates, the archetypes. Just as everybody possesses instincts, so he also possesses a stock of archetypal images.
Thus each of us had to be content to live only for the day, alone under the vast indifference of the sky.
Evil people naturally assume that you will use that power exactly as they would use it.
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