100+ Best Quotes of Marcus Aurelius part 2 of 6: Motivation

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:

1. “Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.”


2. “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”


3. “A man's life is what his thoughts make of it.”


4. “Begin - to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished.”


5. “Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach.”


6. “Don't be ashamed to need help. Like a soldier storming a wall, you have a mission to accomplish. And if you've been wounded and you need a comrade to pull you up? So what?”


7. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”


8. “Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.”


9. “Do not be wise in words - be wise in deeds.”


10. “Look within, for within is the wellspring of virtue, which will not cease flowing, if you cease not from digging.”


11. “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.”


12. “If you didn’t learn these things in order to demonstrate them in practice, what did you learn them for?”


13. “A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.”


14. “Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.”

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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