Marcus Aurelius was a Roman philosopher and statesman who lived in the 2nd century AD. He is best known for his philosophical works, particularly his collection of personal writings known as the “Meditations.” These writings contain a wealth of wisdom and insight on topics such as philosophy, ethics, and self-improvement. Marcus Aurelius’ quotes have become famous for their clarity and depth, and continue to be widely studied and revered by philosophers and ordinary people alike. His thoughts and ideas continue to inspire and guide people all around the world, and his legacy as one of the greatest philosophers in history remains enduring and influential.
You can also read our other posts for motivation such as powerful warrior quotes, stoic quotes, and powerful narrations for courage.
The Most Life-Changing Marcus Aurelius Quotes
1. “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”
2. “A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.”
3. “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
4. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
5. “The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.”
6. “How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.”
7. “Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature’s delight.”
8. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
9. “Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.”
10. “Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this, too, is one of those things that nature wills. For such as it is to be young and to grow old, and to increase and to reach maturity, and to have teeth and beard and grey hairs, and to beget, and to be pregnant and to bring forth, and all the other natural operations that the seasons of your life bring, such also is dissolution. This, then, is consistent with the character of a reflecting man, to be neither careless nor impatient nor contemptuous with respect to death, but to wait for it as one of the operations of nature. As you now wait for the time when the child shall come out of your wife’s womb, so be ready for the time when your soul shall fall out of this envelope.”
11. “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
12. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
13. “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”
14. “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
Best Marcus Aurelius Quotes That Make You Confident
15. “Though you break your heart, men will go on as before.”
16. “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
17. “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.”
18. “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
19. “Nothing happens to any man that he is not formed by nature to bear.”
20. “No man can escape his destiny, the next inquiry being how he may best live the time that he has to live.”
21. “Do every act of your life as if it were your last.”
22. “Anger cannot be dishonest.”
23. “Death, like birth, is a secret of Nature.”
24. “Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.”
25. “Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.”
26. “To live happily is an inward power of the soul.”
27. “To love only what happens, what was destined. No greater harmony.”
28. “Be content to seem what you really are.”
Famous Quotes by Marcus Aurelius
29. “Look after each other. Life is short—the fruit of this life is a good character and acts for the common good.”
30. “Let each thing you would do, say or intend be like that of a dying person.”
31. “It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.”
32. “Stay calm and serene regardless of what life throws at you.”
33. “Confine yourself to the present.”
34. “It’s unfortunate that this has happened. No. It’s fortunate that this has happened and I’ve remained unharmed by it.”
35. “Misfortune nobly born is good fortune.”
36. “You have to assemble your life yourself – action by action.”
37. “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”
38. “Both happiness and unhappiness depend on perception.”
39. “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
40. “Each day provides its own gifts.”
41. “Live your life as if you are ready to say goodbye to it at any moment, as if the time left for you were some pleasant surprise.”
42. “Why should any of these things that happen externally distract thee? Give thyself leisure to learn some good thing: cease roving to and fro.”
43. “Here is the rule to remember in the future, When anything tempts you to be bitter: not, ‘This is a misfortune’ but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.”
44. “Do not be wise in words – be wise in deeds.”
