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208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 180
How ridiculous and ignorant of the world is one who is surprised at anything that comes to pass in life. (12.13)
Cast everything else aside, then, and hold to these few truths alone; and remember, furthermore, that each of us lives only in the present, this fleeting moment of time, and that the rest of one’s life has either already been lived or lies in an unknowable future. (3.10)
It is absurd not to try to escape from one’s own wickedness, which is possible, but equally absurd to try to escape from that of others, which is impossible. (7.71)
Apply these rules and trouble yourself no further. (10.2)
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Always keep this in mind . . . that happiness in life depends on very few conditions. (7.67)
How easy it is to repel and wipe away every disturbing or inappropriate thought, and recover at once a perfect calm. (5.2)
Dig within; for within you lies the fountain of good, and it can always be gushing forth if only you always dig. (7.59)
Live your whole life through free from all constant and with the utmost joy in your heart, even if all others are crying out against you with whatever charges they please, even if wild beasts are tearing the poor limbs of this lump of clay that has congealed around you. (7.68)
That man prays, ‘May I come to sleep with that woman,’ but you, ‘May I not desire to sleep with her.’ Another prays, ‘May I be rid of this man,’ but you, ‘May I no longer wish to be rid of him.’ Or another, May I not lose my little child,’ but you, ‘May I not be afraid of losing him.’ In a word, turn your prayers round in such a way, and see what comes of it. (9.40)
A healthy eye should look at all that can be seen and not say, ‘I want green things alone,’ for that is the mark of a diseased eye. And a healthy sense of hearing or smell should be ready for all that can be heard or smelled; and a healthy stomach should accept every food, as a mill accepts everything which it has been constructed to grind. Accordingly, a healthy mind should be ready for all that comes about; but the mind which cries, ‘Let my children be safe and sound!’ Or ‘Let everyone praise me whatever I do!’ Is like an eye that seeks only for green, or teeth that seek only for what is tender. (10.35)
What are Alexander, Caesar, and Pompey when compared to Diogenes, Heraclitus, and Socrates? (8.3)
No more of all this talk about what a good man should be, but simply be one. (10.16)