- Marcus Aurelius
Ancient Wisdom…
I have been studying and practicing Stoic Philosophy for several years, and am in my last course assignment with the College of Stoic Philosophers, where I will be accepted as a mentor upon completion, and teaching soon. It has been a challenging course and I expanded my knowledge about Stoicism dramatically, with my sincere desire to help others obtain the benefits this wisdom offers. Of all the ancient Stoic philosophers, my three favorites are Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca. Below are a little about the philosophers’ lives and some memorable quotes translated from Latin, that has profound meaning to me that I want to share with others.
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius was the last great emperor of ancient Rome and he would likely be the first to attribute that greatness to his love of Stoic philosophy. Following his death, the empire went into a long decline from which it never recovered. These meditations were never meant for publication but were only written as thoughts to him in a journal he kept near the end of his life. These lofty and soul-searching passages shave spoken to open hearts and minds for many centuries.
Marcus Aurelius – The Meditations
Book 2
7. Why are you letting the world news and rumors bother you? How come you keep worrying about the things that not within your control? Sit down and take the time to think about learning something new or gaining useful knowledge and stop talking about it.
Book 4
23. Keep in balance and be in harmony with all that is in harmony with you, especially the universe. No opportunity for me is too early or too late and everything comes in its own time.
Book 4
30. Cherish your gifts and abilities, however good or bad they be and be pleased with them. Spend the rest of the time you have on this earth looking only to the gods from whom every good gift comes and see no man as either a master or slave.
Book 4
49. Be like a rock wall that takes an endless pounding from the surf, and stand fast while the churning sea is slowly brought to sleep at your feet. Listen to yourself when you start thinking how unlucky you are when something ”perceived” as bad happens. Instead, you should say to yourself, “How lucky I am not to be broken by what happened and I’m not afraid of what is about to happen”.
The same thing could have happened to anyone, but not too many people would have taken it without complaint. After all, there is no such thing as good luck or bad luck anyway. Would you call something that is not contrary to a man’s nature a piece of bad luck? And can something be contrary to a man’s nature that nature does?
Do the hard times that crash upon you prevents you from being just, forgiving, moderate and truthful? The next time you’re tempted to complain of your bad luck, remember to apply this saying: “Bad luck borne nobly is good luck”.
Book 6
31. Come on man! Admit to yourself what’s bothering you and see it as only a strange product of your unneeded imagination. Start to see things for what they really are again.
Book 6
52. You always have the opinion of not having an opinion. There is never a circumstance where you have to get worked up or be in trouble or let your soul worry about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.
Book 7
1. What is evil? You have experienced it so often, no matter what happens to you in life, remind yourself that you have seen or read about it all before. Throughout all periods of history, or even within your own life, the same events have taken place over and over. Nothing is new, so it’s really no big deal and you should be familiar with it.
Book 7
30. Concentrate on what is being said. Try to place yourself in the position of the person who is saying and doing it.
Book 8
22. Stick to the matter at hand, no matter what it is you are doing. You get what you deserve because you would rather become good tomorrow than do outstanding today.
Book 8
16. Remember that you don’t lose face by changing your mind and accepting the correction of someone who points out your errors. After all it’s your initiative, your judgment call and indeed your intelligence, that makes change and acceptance possible.
Epictetus
Epictetus (circa 55-135 ce) taught in Rome until the year 94 ce, when Emperor Domitian banished philosophers from the city. In exile, he established a school of philosophy where his distinguished students included Marcus Aurelius, author of Meditations. Some 1,863 years after Epictetus’s death, his influence and wisdom still rings true today. The original discourses were class notes written by Arrian a devoted pupil of Epictetus, the great Stoic teacher and former slave. Arrian went on to become a distinguished statesman during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, but it is for these class notes that he will always be remembered. The following passages have been selected to give you both the essence of Epictetus’s lectures and the manner in which he presented them.
Epictetus – A Manual for Living
Everything happens for a good reason:
You become the way you think. Keep your head. Our busy minds are forever jumping to conclusions called “manufacturing” and interpreting signs that aren’t there. Instead, you should as saying that everything that happens to you is for a good reason. So if you decide to believe you were lucky, then you are lucky. All in events contain an advantage for you as long as you look for it!
Pay no attention to things that don’t concern you:
Spiritual progress requires us to highlight what is the essential and disregard everything else unworthy of our attention. Moreover, it is actually a good thing to be thought as being stupid or simpleminded with regard to matters that don’t concern us. Don’t be concerned with other people’s opinions of you, because they don’t see things clearly. Stick with you or purpose. This alone will strengthen your will and give your life coherence. Keep away from trying to win other people’s approval and admiration. Try to take a higher road and don’t try to make people think you are sophisticated, unique, or otherwise. In fact, be suspicious if you appear to others as someone “special”. Be on your guard against a false sense of self-importance. Keeping your will in harmony with truth and concerning yourself with what is beyond your role are mutually exclusive. While you are absorbed in one, you will neglect the other.
Events don’t hurt us, but our opinion of them can:
Things in themselves don’t hurt us or hold us back, nor do other people. How we view events is another matter and it’s our attitude and the reaction that we have that give us trouble. Therefore, even death is no big deal in and of itself. It is our notion of death, our idea that it is terrible, that terrifies us. There are so many different ways to think about death. We should scrutinize our notions about death and everything else. Are they really true? Are they doing you any good? Don’t dread death or pain; dread the fear of death or pain. We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.
No one can hurt you:
Nobody has the power to hurt you. Should someone shout abusive things to you or strike you, or even if you are insulted; it is always your choice to view what is happening as insulting or not. If someone irritates you, it is only your own response that is irritating you. Therefore, when anyone seems to be provoking you, remember that it is only your judgment of the incident that is provoking. Don’t let your emotions get ignited by mere appearances. Try not to merely act in the moment. Pull back from your situation. Take a wider view; compose yourself.
Never hold-back a generous impulse:
Follow through on all of your generous impulses. Don’t question them, especially if a friend needs you; act on his or her behalf. Never hesitate! Don’t sit around speculating about the possible problems or dangers. As long as you let your reason lead the way, you will be safe. It is our duty to stand by our friends in their hour of need
Refrain from defending your reputation or intentions:
Don’t be afraid of criticism. Only the morally weak feel compelled to defend or explain themselves to others. Let the quality of your character speak on your own behalf. We can’t control the impressions others form about us, and the effort to do so only demeans our character. If anyone should tell you that in a particular person has spoken critically of you, don’t bother with excuses or defenses. Just smile and reply, “I guess that person doesn’t know all my other faults. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have mentioned only these”
Conduct yourself with dignity:
No matter what the circumstance you find yourself in, compose yourself as if you were a distinguished person. While the behavior of many people is dictated by what is going on around them, hold yourself to a higher standard. Take care to avoid parties or games where revelry and carousing are the norm. If you find yourself at a public event, remain rooted in your own purposes and ideals.
Wisdom is revealed through action, not talk:
Don’t declare yourself to be a wise person and discuss your spiritual aspirations with people who won’t appreciate them. Show your character and your commitment to personal nobility through your actions.
Learn to apply basic principles to particular circumstances in accordance with nature:
The first step of a life of wisdom begins with learning how to put your principles, such as not lying, into practice. The second step is to demonstrate the truth of principles, such as why it is that we ought not to lie. The third step, which connects the first two, is to indicate why the explanations suffice to justify the principles. While the second and third steps are valuable, it is the first step that matters most. For it is all too easy and common to lie while cleverly demonstrating that lying is wrong.
Know what you can and can’t control:
Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and cannot control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness becomes possible. Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, desires, and the things that repel us.
These areas are quite rightly our concern, because they are directly subject to our inner lives. We always have a choice about the contents and character of our inner lives. Outside our control, however, are such things as what kind of body we have, whether we were born into a rich family, or how we are regarded by others. We have to remember that those things are externals and are therefore not our concern. Trying to control or change what we can’t only results in torment.
Remember: the things within our power are naturally at our disposal, free from any restraint or hindrance; but those things outside our power are weak, dependent, or determined by winds and actions of others. Remember, too, that if you think that you have free reign over things that are naturally beyond your role or if you attempt to adopt the affairs of others as your own, your pursuits will be thwarted and you will become frustrated, anxious and a faultfinding person.
Seneca
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, aka “Seneca the Younger”, was a statesman, Stoic philosopher, and a man of letters. He became chief minister of the Roman Empire for several years while Nero was too preoccupied with hedonistic debauchery to be bothered. Seneca’s administration was reputed to be one of the soundest periods of imperial government in its history. In a fit of jealousy, Seneca was later commanded by Nero to commit suicide. The following passages have been selected from Seneca’s Letters “On Benefits” and “Letters from a Stoic”.
Seneca – On Benefits
Book 2
2. It is unpleasant, burdensome, and covers one with shame to have to say, “Give me something.” You should spare your friends, and those whom you wish to make your friends, from having to do this; however quick he may be, a man gives too late who gives what he has been asked for. We ought, therefore, to divine every man’s wishes, and when we have discovered them, to set him free from the hard necessity of asking; you may be sure that a benefit which comes unasked will be delightful and will not be forgotten. If we do not succeed in anticipating our friends, let us at any rate cut them short when they ask us for anything, so that we may appear to be reminded of what we meant to do, rather than to have been asked to do it. Let us assent at once, and by our promptness make it appear that we meant to do so even before we were solicited. As in dealing with sick persons much depends upon when food is given, and plain water given at the right moment sometimes acts as a remedy, so a benefit, however slight and commonplace it may be, if it be promptly given without losing a moment of time, gains enormously in importance, and wins our gratitude more than a far more valuable present given after long waiting and deliberation. One who gives so readily must give with good will; he therefore gives cheerfully and shows his disposition in his countenance.
Book 7
8. When we consider that the mind of a truly wise man has power over all things and pervades all things, we cannot help declaring that everything is his, although, in the estimation of our common law, it may chance that he may be rated as possessing no property whatever. It makes a great difference whether we estimate what he owns by the greatness of his mind, or by the public register. He would pray to be delivered from that possession of everything of which you speak. I will not remind you of Socrates, Chrysippus, Zeno, and other great men, all the greater, however, because envy prevents no one from praising the ancients.
But a short time ago I mentioned Demetrius, who seems to have been placed by nature in our times that he might prove that we could neither corrupt him, nor be corrected by him; a man of consummate wisdom, though he himself disclaimed it, constant to the principles which he professed, of an eloquence worthy to deal with the mightiest subjects, scorning mere verbal niceties, but expressing with infinite spirit, the ideas which inspired it. I doubt not that he was endowed by divine providence with so pure a life and such power of speech in order that our age might neither be without a model nor a reproach.
Seneca – Letters from a Stoic
Letter 5
Lucius, let me give you this piece of advice; stay away from following the example of those who constantly crave attention. Don’t dress and behave with the latest fad, but stay in the track of philosophy no matter how modest it may be, even if it’s unpopular. Don’t disassociate yourself from society and be a role model.
Letter 8
Keep your wants and desires within due bounds. For example, take the roof of a house; its main job is for protection against inclement weather. It doesn’t make any difference whether it is made of turf or marble imported from another country: what you have to understand is that thatch makes a person just as good a roof as gold does. Don’t worry about everything that is added on by way of decoration and displayed by unnecessary work. Always keep in mind that nothing merits admiration except the spirit, the impressiveness of which prevents it from being impressed by anything.
Letter 25
Without sound philosophy, the mind and body get sick. However physically strong and powerful men can get, they will only possess the kind of strength that is found in persons in a demented mental state. So, here is the sort of healthiness you must make your principal concern. Sure, you must attend to the physical fitness as well, but see that it takes second place. It won’t cause you any great problems if health is all you want. But, it is not intelligent, my dear Lucius, and is in no way for such an educated man to behave. Don’t spend your time exercising your biceps, broadening the neck and shoulders and developing the lungs. Even when the extra work has produced gratifying results and it has gained a lot of muscle mass, you will never match the strength or the weight of a bodybuilder. The extra weight on the body is crushing to the spirit and leaves it less active. So keep your body within a reasonable condition and focus on exercising your spirit and mind.
Letter 38
Words need to be spread like seed. No matter how tiny a seed may be, when it lands in the right soil, it unfolds its strength and grows from a tiny corn to something greater. Reason does the same thing; by outward appearances, its size is insignificant. However, with activity it starts growing and even though spoken words are few, if a sound mind understands them, the grow and shoot upwards.
Letter 56
Anyone whose temperament is startled by the sound of yelling or unexpected noises is in general a very unstable person and someone that has yet to attain inward detachment. These people have an element of uneasiness in them and it is an element of the rooted fear that makes them a prey to anxiety as in the description given by our Virgil:
“And I, who formerly would never flinch at flying spears or serried ranks of Greeks, am now alarmed by every breeze and roused by every sound to nervousness, in fear for this companion and this load alike”.
So, keep cool…
Letter 78
It was my Stoic studies that really saved me. The very fact that I was able to get out of bed and face the world with renewed health; I owe to philosophy. I owe her – and it is the least of my obligations to her – my life. However, I also owe a great deal to my friends who also cheered me on and made a great contribution to my recovery, because it seemed that even in my very hour of death, I would pass my spirit on to them.
Letter 88
You asked me about my opinion of liberal studies. Well, I don’t have respect for any study whatsoever if its end result is over making money. These kinds of studies are not worthy to pursue. They involve putting skills out for hire and are of only of value for developing the mind, but only for a short time. The only time we should spend working on these kinds of studies is when someone’s ability is not up to attaining higher learning.
Letter 104
Death, you may think, is the worst of all things that could possibly happen, even though there is nothing bad about it at all, except the thing that comes before it – the fear of it. You’ll be scared stiff by make-believe as well as real dangers and haunted by the fear of the unknown. What good will it do to you to “Have found a route past all those Argive forts and won escape right through the enemy’s lines”? Peace itself will supply you with other fears if your mind has once experienced the shocks of fright you’ll no longer have the confidence even in things that are perfectly safe; once it has acquired the habit of unthinking panic, it is incapable of taking care of own self-preservation.
