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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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154 MARCUS ANTONINUS BOOK<br />

that comes ; the bare act <strong>of</strong> going with it none<br />

can avoid.<br />

29 Point by point, get clear upon every single act<br />

'<br />

you do, and ask yourself,<br />

me afraid <strong>of</strong> death ? '<br />

Need loss <strong>of</strong> this make<br />

30 When <strong>of</strong>fended at a fault in some one else,<br />

divert your thoughts <strong>to</strong> the reflection, What is the<br />

parallel fault in me ? Is it attachment <strong>to</strong> money ?<br />

or pleasure ? or reputation ? as the case may be.<br />

Dwelling on this, anger forgets itself and makes<br />

way for the thought<br />

' He cannot help himself<br />

what else can he do ? If it is not so, enable<br />

him, if you can, <strong>to</strong> help himself.'<br />

31 Let sight <strong>of</strong> Satyron, Eutyches, or Hymen,<br />

call up the thought <strong>of</strong> some Socratic ; Euphrates<br />

that <strong>of</strong> Eutychion or Silvanus ; Alciphron that<br />

<strong>of</strong> Tropaeophorus ; Xenophon<br />

that <strong>of</strong> Cri<strong>to</strong> or<br />

Severus ; a look at yourself, that <strong>of</strong> some Caesar<br />

<strong>of</strong> the past ; and similarly with every other case,<br />

suggesting the thought, Where are they all now ?<br />

Nowhere or nobody knows where. In this way<br />

you will come <strong>to</strong> look on all things human as<br />

smoke and nothingness : especially if you bear in<br />

mind, that the thing once changed can never be<br />

itself again <strong>to</strong> all eternity. Why fret yourself

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