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
Submit to the fate of your own free will.
Interpretation
Embrace your circumstances while exercising your ability to choose.
This quote by Marcus Aurelius highlights the interplay between fate and free will, suggesting that while certain aspects of life may be predetermined, we still possess the power to make choices within those constraints. It encourages individuals to accept the things they cannot control while actively engaging in the decisions that define their lives.
In practice
During a motivational speech on overcoming adversity, one might say, 'Remember, submit to the fate of your own free will.'
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.
A precedent embalms a principle.
What they could do with 'round here is a good war. What else can you expect with peace running wild all over the place? You know what the trouble with peace is? No organization.
Lord, catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty or pain so that at least for the moment, I may be startled into seeing that you are here in all your splendor, always and everywhere, barely hidden, beneath, beyond, within this life I breathe.
WAR, n. A by-product of the arts of peace. The most menacing political condition is a period of international amity.
It is characteristic of ideology to impose self-evident facts as self-evident facts.
At times when people fear death, they go along with measures that they believe, rightly or wrongly, will save them - even if that means a loss of freedom. Such measures have been popular in the past.
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