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 Aurelius More Quotes by Marcus Aurelius More Quotes From Marcus Aurelius To understand the true quality of people, you must look into their minds, and examine their pursuits and aversions. Marcus Aurelius understanding mind people Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. Marcus Aurelius positive inspirational life Our life is what our thoughts make it. Marcus Aurelius change inspirational life The most complete revenge is not to imitate the aggressor. Marcus Aurelius aggressors anger revenge Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours. Marcus Aurelius gratitude dream thankful Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one. Marcus Aurelius insperational time integrity If you separate from . . . everything you have done in the past, everything that disturbs you about the future . . . and apply yourself to living the life that you are living-that is to say, the present-you can live all the time that remains to you until your death in calm, benevolence, and serenity. Marcus Aurelius serenity live-life past 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. Marcus Aurelius happy happiness life The inner master, when confronted with an obstacle, uses it as fuel, like a fire which consumes things that are thrown into it. A small lamp would be snuffed out, but a big fire will engulf what is thrown at it and burn hotter; it consumes the obstacle and uses it to reach a higher level. Marcus Aurelius fuel use fire Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability. Marcus Aurelius learning education inspirational Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. Marcus Aurelius future fear adventure Remember: Matter: how tiny your share of it. Time: how brief and fleeting your allotment of it. Fate: how small a role you play in it. Marcus Aurelius fate matter play Why should anyone be afraid of change? What can take place without it? What can be more pleasing or more suitable to universal nature? Can you take your bath without the firewood undergoing a change? Can you eat without the food undergoing a change? And can anything useful be done without change? Don't you see that for you to change is just the same, and is equally necessary for universal nature? Marcus Aurelius baths done change Adapt yourself to the life you have been given; and truly love the people with whom destiny has surrounded you. Marcus Aurelius destiny inspirational love If you do the task before you always adhering to strict reason with zeal and energy and yet with humanity, disregarding all lesser ends and keeping the divinity within you pure and upright, as though you were even now faced with its recall - if you hold steadily to this, staying for nothing and shrinking from nothing, only seeking in each passing action a conformity with nature and in each word and utterance a fearless truthfulness, then the good life shall be yours. And from this course no man has the power to hold you back. Marcus Aurelius fearless good-life men The best revenge is not to be like your enemy. Marcus Aurelius best-revenge revenge enemy When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one's energy, that one's modesty, another's generosity, and so on. Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we're practically showered with them. It's good to keep this in mind. Marcus Aurelius encouragement people thinking Does what's happened keep you from acting with justice, generosity, self-control, sanity, prudence, honesty, humility, straightforward ness, and all other qualities that allow a person's nature to fulfill itself? So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune. Marcus Aurelius honesty pain humility Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it. Marcus Aurelius soul use sun A person's life is dyed with the color of his imagination. Marcus Aurelius color imagination life