Meditations Books 7-12 (English)

Meditations Books 7-12

Pensées pour moi-même

(Thoughts to Myself)

(English)

Author: Marcus Aurelius 170-180

French Translator: Jules Barthélemy-Saint-Hilaire 1876

Translator/Editor: Nik Marcel 2018

English translated from French.

Copyright © 2018 Nik Marcel

All rights reserved.

A Bilingual (Dual-Language) Project

2Language Books

Meditations Books 7-12

Thoughts to Myself

Book 7

I What is vice? It is what you have seen a hundred times in your life. And it is not only in relation to evil, but also in relation to everything that happens to you, that you can say to yourself that these are things that you have seen a thousand times before.

All around, above, below, there is only repetition of similar things, filling the histories of the distant ages, the histories of more recent times, the contemporary histories, and filling, even as we speak, our cities and our homes.

It is because there is nothing new in the world, and all things are both ordinary and transient.

II How could you make the judgments that you form die in you, other than by extinguishing the perceptible impressions which correspond to them, and which it is entirely up to you to revive?

If need be, I can always form opinions based on particular impressions; and, so long as I can, why should I be worried?

Since external things do not reside in the mind, they have nothing to do with the mind itself. So be in this disposition; and you are standing in truth. You can then make a new life for yourself.

Once again look at things as you have looked at them formerly; because it is precisely here that a new life is made.

i.) How could you make the judgments in you die. How could you suspend your judgements?

ii.) Which it is entirely up to you to revive. So long as one can revive impressions, the implication is that one can also not revive them.

iii.) They have nothing to do with the mind itself. See preceding volume, book VI, #52.

iv.) Make a new life for oneself. By substituting the action of the rational and thoughtful will for instinctive thought, which immediately followed the perceptible impression.

III The vain refinements of luxury, the plays played at the theatre, those immense assemblies, those herds, those gladiator fights, all this is like a bone thrown to the dogs, like a piece of bread thrown to the fish in the fishpond, like the labours of ants exhausting themselves dragging their burden, like the extravagant races of frightened mice, like puppets that a thread makes move.

Against the background of all these seductions, one must know how to keep one’s heart perfectly calm, and to not show an excessively proud contempt either.

But from this, you can at least draw the consequence that man is only as good as the things to which he (she) devotes his (her) attention.

i.) Those immense assemblies, those herds. Most translators have understood this passage differently. According to them, it is a question of large groups of domestic animals, of flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. The context does not lend itself to this meaning; and I prefer to understand the word ‘Herd’ with the same shade of irony that we attach to it, when we speak of those herds of men assembled for some public festival, for plays, for gladiator fights. It seems to me that, understood in this way, the thought has more unity and more substance.

ii.) Man is only as good as the things. The observation is entirely reasonable; and one can judge someone by the amusements and distractions that he or she appreciates.

IV If it is a discourse, one must attend carefully to each word; if it relates to an action, one must pay careful attention to the intention.

In the latter case, it is important to first of all appreciate the purpose which the agent was striving towards, just as, in the other, one only need appreciate the expression which was used.

V Is my intelligence sufficient, or is it not sufficient, to do something that I desire?

If it is sufficient, I use it to accomplish my work, as an instrument given to me by the nature that governs the universe.

If my intelligence alone is not sufficient, either I leave the work for someone who can carry it out better than me, unless it is my duty to do it personally; or else, I do it to the best of my abilities, by appointing myself an assistant, who, under my direction and by forming an alliance with me, can meet the demands of the common good in a timely manner; for, what I do, alone or with the help of another, must never have but one purpose: the common interest and the good harmony of the world.

VI How many men once famous throughout the whole world are already consigned to oblivion! How many people who have celebrated them have long since disappeared!

VII Do not feel ashamed of receiving the help of others; for your goal is to accomplish the duty which is incumbent upon you, like a soldier who engages in combat.

Well, what would you do if, wounded in the leg, you were not able to negotiate the breach alone, but that it was possible with the help of another?

VIII May the future not disturb you; you will approach it, if necessary, by applying that same reason which enlightens you about things in the present.

IX All things are intertwined with each other; their mutual linking is sacred; and there is nothing, so to speak, that is not connected to any other thing. All things are interlinked; and they contribute to the good order of the same universe.

In its unity, this world contains all beings without exception; God, who is everywhere, is One; substance is One; the law is One too; reason, which has been given to all intelligent beings, is common to them; lastly, truth is One, just as there is only one single perfection for all beings of like kind, and for all those who share the same reason.

X All that is material disappears in an instant into the universal substance; every cause returns in an instant to the reason which governs the universe; in an instant too, the memory of all that was, is swallowed up by eternity.

i.) Every cause. In this general formula, it is not certain that Marcus Aurelius includes the voluntary and free cause that we are; but nor can it be said that he makes an exception for human individualism, and that it does not absorb it in the reason which governs the universe.

XI In the eyes of the rational being, every action that is in accordance with nature is not less in accordance with reason.

XII Straight, or straightened.

i.) Straight, or straightened. It is quite probable that this is only a note, which Marcus Aurelius intended to develop later. However, the thought is very clear, despite the brevity of the words. Man must walk straight on the path of good; or, if he (she) goes astray, he (she) must straighten his (her) way.

XIII Just as in individual beings, the limbs of the body have a certain connection between them; so too do rational beings have a similar connection, in spite of their isolation, because they are made to work together towards the same end.

This thought will acquire all the more significance in your mind, if you say often to yourself, ‘I am a member of the family of rational beings.’

If you only said, ‘I am a part and not an actual member’, it is because you do not yet love humanity from the bottom of your heart; it is because doing good does not bring you that pleasure given by an act performed with full awareness. You do it simply because it is fitting to do so; but you do not do it in order to carry out the good that is your own.

i.) In spite of their isolation. It is simply a question of material isolation, each being necessarily existing in itself and for itself. The connection between rational beings is essentially a moral one.

ii.) The good that is yours. Egoism thus understood is not blameworthy; but, deep down, it is hardly egoism.

XIV May that which wants to happen from outside, happen, to those portions of my being that can feel these kinds of accidents; that which suffers in me will be able to complain, if it finds it appropriate. But as for me, if I do not think that what happens to me is an evil, I am not affected by it; and it is always possible for me to conceive this thought.

i.) That which suffers in me. It is the body, which the soul can distinguish deeply from itself, and from which it can cut itself off almost absolutely.

ii.) It is always possible for me to conceive this thought. See preceding volume, book IV, #7. The maxim is practical; but it is very difficult to apply: one must combine a great strength of soul with extensive practice, in order to silence sensitivity and listen only reason. This is the Stoic doctrine in its entirety.

XV Whatever anyone says to me, whatever anyone does to me, it is my duty to always be a good man. It is in this way that gold, or emerald, or purple can always say to themselves, ‘Whatever anyone says, whatever anyone does, it is essential that I be emerald, and that I preserve the colour which I have.’

i.) Gold, emerald, purple. Marcus Aurelius is looking for the most beautiful and the most precious materials, even though he knows full well that nothing in nature can equal the conscience, with its inestimable powers, splendours, and value.

XVI The principle which governs us never gives itself the excitement of any passion; for example, the passion of fear, which it would inflict on itself of its own free will.

However, if something else can cause it fear or sorrow, may it do so; for it is not this superior principle which will spontaneously rush towards these disorders.

It is up to the body to arrange itself so as not to suffer, as it is for it to say what it is suffering.

As for the mind, which feels the fear or the sadness, and which, in a general way, conceives the thought of all these feelings, may it not suffer in any way whatsoever; for you will not allow it to adopt these erroneous judgments.

The guiding principle can be independent, in all that concerns it, unless it makes itself subordinate to some need. In this respect, it can always be without excitement and without difficulty, so long as it does not disturb itself or burden itself.

XVII Happiness is to have a good spirit; it is to do good. So what are you doing here, O imagination, with disappointing appearances?

Go away, in the name of the Gods, as you have come. I do not care in the least about you. You have entered me, I know, by a very old habit; so I am not angry with you; only, depart.

i.) A good spirit. One could say, by taking speech that would be more specifically ours: ‘A good conscience.’ We can believe that this expression of Spirit, so often used by Marcus Aurelius, is only a Socratic tradition noted down by Stoicism. The spirit, the daemon of Socrates, is only one’s conscience.

ii.) With disappointing appearances. It is the paraphrase of the Greek word, where the word Imagination alone would not have rendered all the force.

XVIII Is it possible that man dreads change? And what can be done in the world without a change taking place? What is more pleasant, more familiar to the nature of the whole universe?

Can you take a bath, without the wood that heats it being transformed and changing? Can you eat, without a change in the foods which must nourish you? Can any useful thing be accomplished without a corresponding change?

Do you not understand, then, that the change which affects yourself is just the same, and that this change is also essential in the nature of things?

i.) Dreads change. The end of the paragraph indicates in what sense one must understand change. It is clear that it is a question of death. Man must no longer be surprised by it, nor be frightened of it, if he (she) is not surprised at the change in the whole universe. It is the law of things, and he is affected like all the rest. The soul itself changes also, since it is finally separated from the body, after having been so intimately united with it for such a long time.

ii.) The change which affects yourself. Here we have the essential point of this paragraph. The change in man can be either old age or death. Old age, when one observes the progress of it on oneself, is only a successive apprenticeship of death; it is a sad but grand spectacle, which we can all grant ourselves, as often as we want. Seneca has said in magnificent terms: ‘Hence, look without fear at this fatal hour, which is the last of the body and not the last of the soul. Consider all the goods that surround you like the goods of an inn where you pass.’ Epistle CII, to Lucilius.

XIX. All bodies, whatever they may be, are carried along in the universal substance, as in an irresistible torrent, of the same nature as the whole, cooperating in the common work, as our organs communicate with each other.

How many Chrysippus’s, how many Epictetus’s, has time already swallowed up?! The same fate awaits every man and every thing, whoever and whatever they may be.

i.) In an irresistible torrent. See similar thoughts, previous volume, book IV, #43, and book V, #23.

XX I have only one preoccupation, and that is, to never do anything, of my own free will, which is contrary to the natural constitution of man, to never do anything otherwise than this constitution requires, nor if it does not require it, at the moment I do it.

i.) Anything that is contrary to the natural constitution of man. It is, in other words, the Stoic formula: ‘To live according to nature and to always obey its orders, according to the circumstances.’

XXI You are very close to forgetting everything; and everything is very close to rendering you an equal forgetfulness.

XXII To love even those who offend us is a virtue peculiar to man. You will find that it is easy to be forgiving, if you remember that these people are members of your family; that it is through ignorance, and without meaning to, that they commit these mistakes; that, in a very short time, you will all be dead; and, above all, you will be forgiving, if you say to yourself that the offender has done you no harm; for he or she has not been able to corrupt the higher principle that governs you.

i.) The offender has done you no harm. This argument is typical of Stoicism. See further on, #26.

XXIII The universal nature moulds the universal substance like a wax.

Thus, she sometimes makes it into a horse; and, dissolving this, she uses its material to create a tree; then, she uses the tree to make some other being.

But each of these beings only subsists for a moment; and it is no more unfortunate for a chest to be broken up than to be built.

XXIV. An irate look is entirely contrary to nature, since the physiognomy is spoiled, and since it eventually disappears so completely that nothing can bring it back.

If this remark is true, endeavour from this to draw the conclusion that anger itself is contrary to reason; for if, by giving oneself over to it, one loses even the awareness of one’s faults, what reason could one still have for living?

i.) What reason could one still have for living? This consequence seems a little excessive. No doubt, one must flee from anger, which spoils the face and which overwhelms the faculties of the mind. But this is not reason enough to lose all motive for living: ‘Vivendi perdere causas’. What is true is that the man who has lost all awareness of his faults is very close to being nothing more than a brute, where moral sentiment has disappeared, and that it would be better for him (her) to not be than to be this way. Perhaps what is needed is to give a more general meaning at the beginning of this paragraph, and to apply to the soul what is said simply of the face.

XXV The nature that commands and governs the universe will change everything you see in an instant; of the substance of these beings, she will form others, as with the substance of those it will form still others, so that the universe is eternally youthful and new.

i.) The nature that commands and governs the universe. This thought is very similar to that of #23.

XXVI If someone behaves badly towards you, ask yourself what idea about good and bad has brought about this wrongful conduct.

From this point of view, you will take pity on this person, and you will no longer feel surprise or anger; for either you yourself had an identical opinion, or at least a similar opinion of what it was good to do; and then there is only to forgive.

However, if faults of this kind do not appear to you to be good or bad, then it will be still easier for you to be forgiving towards someone whose only fault was to have poor eyesight.

i.) Neither good nor bad. According to the reasoning that was given at the end of #22, the offender cannot morally harm the offended; it is only us who can harm ourselves, by not taking things as they must be taken.

ii.) The fault of having poor eyesight. Like a blind person who bumps into you. Only here it is a matter of the eyes of the soul.

XXVII Never think about what you are lacking as if you already had it; among the things that you possess, prefer what is best; when considering them, remind yourself of the means which ought to procure them for you, if you were lacking them.

However, be very careful not to acquire the habit of valuing them so highly that, if some day they happened to slip out of your hands, you are deeply disturbed.

i.) As if already you had it. A wise precaution, since the object of our desires can always be something we lack.

ii.) Prefer what is best. Remind yourself of the means which ought to procure them for you. It is rare, indeed, that things are worth the pain they have cost, when we consider them calmly and deliberately. It is therefore very practical advice given here by Marcus Aurelius; however, like much good advice, it is very useful, and also very difficult; and desire is directed to the object that excites rather than reason is looking at the obstacles.

iii.) You are deeply disturbed. In general, the loss of things moves us more deeply than the acquisition, whatever may be the object of our hopes or our regrets.

XXVIII Retreat often into yourself; for the rational principle which governs us has this special nature of being able to be absolutely sufficient unto itself alone. By practicing justice, it finds the repose which it seeks.

i.) Retreat often into yourself. The advice is admirable; and in ordinary life the practice is very useful. To blend the inner life and the outer life in the right proportions, is, even for the best minds, a very tricky enterprise.

ii.) Repose. Which must be distinguished from inertia. On the contrary, properly understood, repose supposes action, since there is an abundance of vitality.

XXIX Erase the unduly bright colours of the perceptible impressions; calm the excitement of your nerves; limit yourself to the present moment; be fully aware of what is happening, either to you, or to another of your fellow kind.

Divide and analyse the object you are concerned with, to clearly distinguish the causal and the material. Think often about the ultimate hour. Leave the fault to the one who has committed it, in the circumstances in which he or she could, and did, commit it.

i.) Divide and analyse. See this thought more developed, preceding volume, book III, #11; see also the end of #21 of book IV.

ii.) Think often about the supreme hour. It is also the warning of the Carthusians; only the Carthusians are in deep retreat, while Marcus Aurelius remains in the world of affairs, and does not advise anyone to isolate him- or herself from it completely.

XXX Pay all your attention to what people say to you; and make your intelligence penetrate the real facts and the causes that produce them.

i.) Pay all your attention to what people say to you. An excellent recommendation, especially for statesmen and stateswomen, responsible for distinguished roles which require the most numerous relations, but equally applicable to each one of us, however modest the sphere in which we are placed. See a similar recommendation, previous volume, book VI, #53.

XXXI Know how to beautify your soul with simplicity, with modesty, and with indifference to those things which are neither vice nor virtue.

Love humankind; obey God, and follow him (her) obediently. A poet has said, ‘The whole universe is subject to his (her) laws.’

The material elements suppose the existence of God; and it is enough to remember that everything is subject to a regular law. We must be content with these principles, however few they may be.

i.) The whole universe. In the text, there is only the end of a verse, instead of the complete verse.

ii.) The material elements. Here, the text is corrupt, without the possibility of restoring it with the help of manuscripts.

XXXII On death. If it is a dispersion of the elements of our being, it is either resolution into atoms, or annihilation, or extinction, or transformation.

i.) If it is a dispersion of the elements of our being. This restriction of thought largely takes away the materialistic character it might have. It is true that Marcus Aurelius is not really advocating for a spiritual solution; but he does not discard it, since he supposes that death may be something other than the dispersion of all the elements of our entire being. See previous volume, book VI, #10, and book VI, #14.

XXXIII On pain. If it is intolerable, it makes us exit life; if it lasts, it is because it is tolerable.

Our mind, absorbed in itself, nevertheless retains all its tranquillity; and the sovereign principle which governs us is not altered; only it is up to the parts of our being affected by the pain to tell us, if they can, what they are experiencing.

i.) Retains all its tranquillity. It is a degree of asceticism difficult to attain; but it is not impossible to succeed, if the mind has the necessary strength and perseverance.

ii.) Up to the parts of our being affected by the pain. See a comparable thought, above, #16.

XXXIV On opinion. Consider a little what the minds of men are, what they are avoiding, what they are seeking; and be clear that, just as the sand dunes piling up make those that had first formed disappear, so too, in life, do the previous events disappear in an instant, under the events that ceaselessly accumulate after them.

i.) On opinion. One could also translate: ‘On glory’; but it seems to me that the first version agrees more with the general meaning of this paragraph.

ii.) The sand dunes. A new and striking comparison. It can also apply to the vain opinions of men, as mobile as the sands raised by the wind, and to vain glory, which shines for an instant, only to soon disappear under the new events which accumulate.

XXXV Extract from Plato:

— But do you think that the one whose thought is full of greatness, and who contemplates all times and all beings, may look upon life spent on earth as something particularly important?

— It is impossible.

— So should such an individual consider that death is something to fear?

— No.

i.) Extract from Plato. This fragment is borrowed from Plato’s The Republic, book VI. This thought has obviously struck Marcus Aurelius, and he no doubt intended to develop it himself.

XXXVI Maxim from Antisthenes: ‘When you do good, it is really a royal thing to hear yourself be slandered.’

XXXVII It is rather shameful that our face obeys us docilely, that it takes the air we give it, that it responds so well to the orders of our will, and that our mind does not know how to obey itself and arrange itself at will.

XXXVIII. ‘What is the use of ever getting angry with things, such things not taking any notice of our vain wrath?’

i.) What is the use of getting angry. A quotation from Euripides in his lost tragedy of Bellerophon. In the Fragments, frag. 298, pag. 686, Firmin-Didot (French) edition.

XXXIX ‘Give us pleasure, the Gods and us.’

i.) Give us pleasure. It is not known from which poet this quotation is taken; placed between two other quotations from Euripides, it is likely that it also belongs to him.

XL ‘Our days are harvested like ears of corn, of which one is already ripe when the other is barely green.’

i.) Our days are harvested. Quotation from Euripides in his lost tragedy of Hypsipyle, Fragment 752, pag. 799, Firmin-Didot (French) edition.

ii.) In the previous volume, at the end of book IV, #XLVIII, Marcus Aurelius compared the end of man to a ripe olive, falling from the tree which bore it.

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