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
Though you break your heart, men will go on as before.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the resilience of life despite personal emotional turmoil.
Marcus Aurelius conveys that individual suffering or heartbreak may feel significant, but life continues its course unaffected by personal pain. This observation suggests a stoic understanding of existence, emphasizing the importance of acceptance and resilience in the face of emotional distress.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming adversity, one might use this quote to highlight the continuity of life.
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.
In the depths of the human soul... the desire to give meaning to one's own life is joined by the fleeting vision of beauty and of the mysterious unity of things.
When the yogi starts to meditate, he must leave behind all sensory thoughts and all longings for possessions by quieting the waves of feeling (chitta), and the mental restlessness that arises therefrom, through the application of techniques that reinstate the controlling power of the untrammeled superconsciousness of the soul.
Action hangs, as it were, dissolved in speech, in thoughts whereof speech is the shadow; and precipitates itself therefrom. The kind of speech in a man betokens the kind of action you will get from him.
A very great part of the mischiefs that vex the world arises from words.
The Dance - it is the rhythm of all that dies in order to live again; it is the eternal rising of the sun.
In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.