Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (/ɔːˈriːliəs/;[1] 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors (a term coined some 13 centuries later by Niccolò Machiavelli), and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161.
The Column and Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius still stand in Rome, where they were erected in celebration of his military victories. Meditations, the writings of "the philosopher" – as contemporary biographers called Marcus, are a significant source of the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy. They have been praised by fellow writers, philosophers, monarchs, and politicians centuries after his death.
Quotes:
- “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.”
- “Our life is what our thoughts make it.”
- “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
- “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
- “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.”
- “Everything that happens, happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so.”
- “No man can escape his destiny, the next inquiry being how he may best live the time that he has to live.”
- “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.”
- “While you live, while it is in your power, be good.”
- “Let men see, let them know, a real man, who lives as he was meant to live.”
- “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
- “Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power.”
- “Life is short. Do not forget about the most important things in our life, living for other people and doing good for them.”
- “Know the joy of life by piling good deed on good deed until no rift or cranny appears between them.”
- “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.”
- “Every living organism is fulfilled when it follows the right path for its own nature.”
- “Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretence.”
- “Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.”
- “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”
- “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
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100+ Best Quotes of Marcus Aurelius:
part 1 of 6: Live your Life to the Fullest
part 2 of 6: Motivation
part 3 of 6: Love and Happiness
part 4 of 6: Controlling your anger and have a good life
part 5 of 6: Life Lessons
part 6 of 6: Inspirational
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