I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.
Marcus AureliusRead
Live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.
Interpretation
Live authentically and justly, while accepting that not everyone will share these values.
This quote from Marcus Aurelius emphasizes the importance of living one's life with truth and justice as guiding principles. It encourages individuals to maintain their integrity and moral values even in the face of others who may not embody the same qualities. The call for tolerance suggests a balanced approach, recognizing that while striving for personal virtue is crucial, it is equally important to understand and accept the differing beliefs and behaviors of others.
In practice
In a motivational speech about maintaining personal integrity.
I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good.
Vex not thy spirit at the course of things; they heed not thy vexation. How ludicrous and outlandish is astonishment at anything that may happen in life.
You don't have to turn this into something. It doesn't have to upset you. Things can't shape our decisions by themselves.
A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions.
Poor people never, or hardly ever, ask for an explanation of all they have to put up with. They hate one another, and content themselves with that.
I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the Domesday Book.
Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.
We do not need a truth to serve us, we need a truth that we can serve
The sun is not ridiculous, quite the contrary. On everything I like, on the rust of the construction girders, on the rotten boards of the fence, a miserly, uncertain light falls, like the look you give, after a sleepless night, on decisions made with enthusiasm the day before, on pages you have written in one spurt without crossing out a word.
But what do you believe? I don't just mean religion. What are you sure of?" "That once I was not and that now I am. That one day I shall no longer be.
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