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
Your mind will be like its habitual thoughts; for the soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts. Soak it then in such trains of thoughts as, for example: Where life is possible at all, a right life is possible.
Interpretation
Our thoughts shape our reality and character, so we should cultivate positive and constructive thoughts.
This quote by Marcus Aurelius emphasizes the profound impact that our habitual thoughts have on our soul and overall life experience. It suggests that if we nurture beneficial and righteous thoughts, we can lead a meaningful life, reinforcing the idea that our internal mindset greatly influences our external reality and ethical living.
In practice
In a motivational speech about self-improvement.
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.
America is made of different races and different religions, but we're all co-travelers on the spaceship Earth and must respect and help each other along the way.
...he did not want me to seek the whys, because there are some things that happen for which we can formulate no whys, for which whys simply do not exist and, perhaps, are not necessary.
We cannot well do without our sins; they are the highway of our virtue.
Christianity affirms that at the heart of reality is a Heart, a loving Father who works through history for the salvation of His children. Man cannot save himself, for man is not the measure of all things and humanity is not God. Bound by the chains of his own sin and finiteness, man needs a Savior.
Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection. Let him say not merely, "Christ is risen," but "I shall rise."
I was escaping from Nature and at last becoming myself, that Other whom I was aspiring to be in the eyes of others.
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