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
It is within our power not to make a judgement about something, and so not disturb our minds; for nothing in itself possesses the power to form our judgements.
Interpretation
We have the ability to choose not to judge, which helps maintain our mental peace.
This quote by Marcus Aurelius emphasizes the idea that our judgments are not dictated by external circumstances but are rather within our control. By choosing not to form judgments about things, we can protect our minds from unnecessary disturbances and maintain a state of tranquility, suggesting that peace of mind often comes from internal choices rather than external factors.
In practice
In a meditation class, to encourage focus on inner peace, one could quote this saying.
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.
And alien tears will fill for him pity's long broken urn. For his mourners will all be outcast men, and outcasts always mourn.
Intelligence is a moral category.
If any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies.
Lying under an acacia tree with the sound of the dawn around me, I realized more clearly the facts that man should never overlook: that the construction of an airplane, for instance, is simple when compared [with] a bird; that airplanes depend on an advanced civilization, and that were civilization is most advanced, few birds exist. I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.
The more things I threw away, the more I found.
Life is the dancer and you are the dance.
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