Marcus Aurelius Quotes

Below are some of my favorite quotes attributed to Marcus Aurelius:

• "The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts."
• "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."
• "If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it."
• “The mind freed from passions is an impenetrable fortress—a person has no more secure place of refuge for all time."
• "The best answer to anger is silence."
• "Stay calm and serene regardless of what life throws at you."
• "That which isn’t good for the hive, isn’t good for the bee."
• "We live only now. Everything else is either passed or is unknown.
• "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."
• "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."
• "What we do now echoes in eternity."
• "The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength."
• "This is the mark of perfection of character—to spend each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, laziness, or any pretending."
• "You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. "
• "Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?"