Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 267 pages of information about Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.

Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 267 pages of information about Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.
Antoninus says, [Greek:  tois Epikteteiois hypomnemasin] which must not be translated, “the writings of Epictetus,” for Epictetus wrote nothing.  His pupil Arrian, who has preserved for us all that we know of Epictetus, says, [Greek:  tauta epeirathen hypomnemata emauto diaphylaxai tes ekeinou dianoias] (Ep. ad.  Gell.)

8.  From Apollonius[A] I learned freedom of will and undeviating steadiness of purpose; and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to reason; and to be always the same, in sharp pains, on the occasion of the loss of a child, and in long illness; and to see clearly in a living example that the same man can be both most resolute and yielding, and not peevish in giving his instruction; and to have had before my eyes a man who clearly considered his experience and his skill in expounding philosophical principles as the smallest of his merits; and from him I learned how to receive from friends what are esteemed favors, without being either humbled by them or letting them pass unnoticed.

    [A] Apollonius of Chalcis came to Rome in the time of Pius to
    be Marcus’ preceptor.  He was a rigid Stoic.

9.  From Sextus,[A] a benevolent disposition, and the example of a family governed in a fatherly manner, and the idea of living conformably to nature; and gravity without affectation, and to look carefully after the interests of friends, and to tolerate ignorant persons, and those who form opinions without consideration:+ he had the power of readily accommodating himself to all, so that intercourse with him was more agreeable than any flattery; and at the same time he was most highly venerated by those who associated with him:  and he had the faculty both of discovery and ordering, in an intelligent and methodical way, the principles necessary for life; and he never showed anger or any other passion, but was entirely free from passion, and also most affectionate; and he could express approbation without noisy display, and he possessed much knowledge without ostentation.

10.  From Alexander[B] the grammarian, to refrain from fault-finding, and not in a reproachful way to chide those who uttered any barbarous or solecistic or strange-sounding expression; but dexterously to introduce the very expression which ought to have been used, and in the way of answer or giving confirmation, or joining in an inquiry about the thing itself, not about the word, or by some other fit suggestion.

11.  From Fronto[C] I learned to observe what envy and duplicity and hypocrisy are in a tyrant, and that generally those among us who are called Patricians are rather deficient in paternal affection.

12.  From Alexander the Platonic, not frequently nor without necessity to say to any one, or to write in a letter, that I have no leisure; nor continually to excuse the neglect of duties required by our relation to those with whom we live, by alleging urgent occupations.

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Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.