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Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

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x TO HIMSELF 147<br />

the physical currents, smooth or rough, over vain-<br />

glory, death, or any other trial. Keep<br />

true <strong>to</strong><br />

these attributes, without pining for recognition <strong>of</strong><br />

the same by others, and a changed man you will<br />

enter upon a changed life. To go on being what<br />

you have been hither<strong>to</strong>, <strong>to</strong> lead a life still so dis-<br />

tracted and polluted, were stupidity and cowardice<br />

indeed, worthy <strong>of</strong> the mangled gladia<strong>to</strong>rs who,<br />

<strong>to</strong>rn and disfigured, cry out <strong>to</strong> be remanded till<br />

the morrow, <strong>to</strong> be flung once more <strong>to</strong> the same<br />

fangs and claws. Enter your claim then <strong>to</strong><br />

these few attributes. And if stand fast in them<br />

you can, stand fast as one translated indeed <strong>to</strong><br />

Islands <strong>of</strong> the Blessed. But if you find yourself<br />

falling away and beaten in the fight, be a man and<br />

get away <strong>to</strong> some quiet corner, where you can still<br />

hold on, or in the last resort take leave <strong>of</strong> life,<br />

not angrily but simply, freely, modestly, achieving<br />

at least this much in life, brave leaving <strong>of</strong> it.<br />

Towards bearing these attributes in mind,<br />

it will<br />

greatly assist you <strong>to</strong> keep in mind the gods, <strong>to</strong><br />

remember that they desire not flattery, but rather<br />

that all reasoning beings should come un<strong>to</strong> their like-<br />

ness, and be as the fig-tree doing fig-tree's work, the<br />

dog the dog's, the bee the bee's, and man the man's.

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