320+ Best Marcus Aurelius Quotes on Life, Leadership, Wisdom & Love

Marcus Aurelius Quotes on Life

“How is it that we never see the things we fear? Our fears are always waiting for us in the dark.”
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”
“How do I know what I think until I see what others think?”
“In our hearts, we know what is right. But the task of a wise man is to find that out.”
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
“Success demands that you practice.”
“The greatest healer for nostalgia is service to others and the desire to be of some use in the universe.”
“It was not given me by nature to indulge every whim and fancy.”
“In my daily life, I prefer solitude to social life. In solitude I am refreshed; in social life, I am disturbed.”
“That which you are is the result of what you have thought; what you have thought, is the result of your thoughts.”
“When we do something against our better judgment, we must ask ourselves whether it is because we want to or need to.”
“Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.”
“Discipline is the best remedy for all kinds of pains, both physical and mental.”
“An Emperor should be able to do whatever he wishes.”
“Do every act of your life as if it were your last.”
“Only the fool thinks he can be wise in isolation, without the advice of others.”
“You are part of your nation, whatever it may be. You are part of your species. And you are part of the whole cosmos.”
“The gods too are fond of a joke.”
“We must consider both the origin and the outcome of our actions.”
“Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.”
“One must learn how to see in order to observe properly.”
“Let us not throw away the power to think, but let us use it to recognize and correct the mistakes of nature which interfere with our plans.”
“The wise man does everything for his own sake.”
“We should live as if the whole world were watching us.”
“A man’s friends must be few but good since it is only by daily contact that we make progress in attaining our aims.”
“We must devote ourselves wholeheartedly to what we do, and…do it for the benefit of others.”
“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
“You must expect great things from yourself before you can do them.”
“Just as the mind is the ruling faculty of the soul, so the ruler is that of a nation…”
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
“If you would lead a good life, you must learn how to control yourself, and do it first.”
“Do you want others to be happy or unhappy?”
“It is only by really knowing what is and what is not our duty that we can pass judgment on what people say.”
“It is the fault of those who want to be happy that they do not see how good they have it.”
“How wonderful it is to know that you are free to choose and that the decision is not made for you.”

Marcus Aurelius Quotes Adversity

“The only thing which drives a man to greatness is a necessity.”
“It is still possible for a great man to use his greatness well even when he cannot use it brilliantly.”
“The more time we spend with others, the less we think ourselves worthwhile.”
“How much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks.”
“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that they are merely attitudes of mind. To me (whoever I am) has been given the capacity to choose between them.”
“Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in all its shining diversity.”
“I’ve seen how hard it is for those who don’t know how to live.”
“It is within our power to will what is right.”
“We should honor those who teach and follow the path of wisdom, for the work to make us all happy by true knowledge.”
“Treat pleasure and pain, which are in your power, as you want to treat good and evil, which are not in your power.”
“A man’s real worth is determined by his integrity and ability.”
“It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
“When you can control your desires, you will gain the faculty of concentration, which is essential for freedom of mind.”
“The true ruler is he who has the courage to see things as they are.”
“Weigh well the words you hear and watch closely what they do.”
“You must discipline your desires in order that freedom may be a reality for you.”
“True freedom is achieved by expanding the limits of one’s self.”
“The wise man is the one who, while watching for his own interests, takes care of those of others.”
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
“We are not born to follow the crowd; we are born to lead it.”
“When you’re happy, you enjoy even the troubles that happen to you.”
“There is no profit in blaming others for your own misdeeds.”
“The wise man is the one who, while watching for his own interests, takes care of those of others.”
“You must discipline your desires in order that freedom may be a reality for you.”
“I’ve seen how hard it is for those who don’t know how to live.”
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

Marcus Aurelius Quotes Obstacle Is the Way

“It is not easy to fight against one’s own desires.”
“The best measure of a man’s honesty isn’t his income tax return. It’s the zero adjust on his bathroom scale.”
“I’ve seen how hard it is for those who don’t know how to live.”
“You cannot love and fight.”
“We must not consider defeat when we lose games or battles, but when we lose control of ourselves and give in to our lower nature.”
“What you are will show in your face.” –Quotes
“A man’s heart should be wider than his hands”
“One must not allow his anger to dominate his talents.”
“I’m not an actor, I’m just a guy who is lucky enough to have a job where I get paid for doing what I would do for free.”
“I’ve had many problems in my life, most of which never actually happened.”
“The key to success, and to happiness, is being fully prepared for the worst – and then not worrying about it.”
“Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.”
“The right to speak your mind is absolute unless the mind in question belongs to me.”
“A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night, and in between, he does what he wants to do.”
“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”
“You know you’re old when someone compliments you on your alligator shoes, and you’re barefoot.”
“I’ve been fortunate to have had rather extraordinary happiness in my life, which I owe to the fact that we had no television growing up — or radio until I was 12.”
“To succeed as a humorist, it is very important that your own life not be too funny.”
“The way a city makes laws is exactly analogous to the way elephants mate.”
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” – Mark Twain
“A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.”
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
“It has been said that when an editor sends you a manuscript for review you are not the reviewer but the critic merely of that manuscript. This is strictly true and what you write must be a plain expression of the opinion which you entertain on whatever subject your comments may concern.”
“Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.”
“The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare.”
“If it weren’t for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn’t get any exercise at all.”
“A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.”
“Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.”
“Everybody lies, but it doesn’t matter since nobody listens.”
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
“To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.”
“I’m a great believer in luck. If you’re born with it, you get more of it.”
“The most important things in life are the last that you do.”
“It’s been said that knowledge is power and if you have all the knowledge in the world, then what do you do?”

Best Marcus Aurelius Quotes

“Let us acknowledge our mistakes, for they will show us where we want to go.”
“Almost anybody can make a remark. It takes judgment to be able to make a good one.”
“I am doing the best that I can, which is pretty good, considering the circumstances.”
“It really doesn’t matter what you say, as long as you are nice about it.”
“We set our sights high and we climb high; we set our sights low and we climb low.”
“When you’re happy, you enjoy even the troubles that happen to you.
“I’ve never been interested in sports. Baseball, I don’t know anything about it.”
“It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”
“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge – myth is more potent than history – dreams are more powerful than facts – hope always triumphs over experience – laughter is the cure for grief and love is more powerful than any weapon.”
“We need to prepare for the future by helping people in the present.”
“The biggest sign of intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”
“Only a life lived for others is a life worth living.”
“For every problem, there is a solution which is simple, neat, and wrong.” – H. L. Mencken
“There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.”
“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” – Albert Einstein
“I want to be the white Kanye West.”
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
“I have no rules of the sport. I will play any game; I will take part in any contest.
“You can’t win if you don’t play!”
“I want to be the black Kanye West.”

Marcus Aurelius Quotes on Leadership

“The way of the fool is to hear and understand nothing.”
“A fool and his money are soon parted.”
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
“It’s tough to stay married. My wife kisses the dog on the lips, yet she won’t drink from my glass.”
“Most people ask for advice when they already know the answer but wish to confirm their own decision.”
“Experience is one thing you don’t get until just after you need it.”
“Your life can be better than you can imagine it. It’s your choice.”
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty are revealed only if there is light from within.”
“Men are dominated by two chief passions: lust and greed.”
“Life doesn’t imitate art, it imitates bad television.”
“It’s not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get up.”
“You don’t have to be stronger than the other person; your strength is in your ability to keep going when the other person gives up.”
“I will consider my life a failure if I have not lived out my belief that all things can be made better through the act of love.”
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.
“All the best things in life are free, the rest are very expensive.”
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible!”
“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.”
“A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking.”

Meditations Marcus Aurelius Quotes

Meditation is the work of a free man.
The loveliest things in life cannot be seen or even touched–they must be felt with the heart.
A friend is someone who knows you and loves you anyway.
Your ideas may change, but your convictions should never waver; they give meaning to your life and help sustain it in both peace and trouble.
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.
Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Your life is what your thoughts make it.
Everything that happens is a lesson.
Look for the helpers–they will always be there, helping you!
It is better not to regret the things we didn’t do than it is to regret the times we did them wrong.
I have now taken leave of all worldly things and I am going to seek a place where I can find peace, contentment, and harmony – Loma mira .
Our being is what our thoughts make it.
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
One of the most obvious means of re-establishing harmony with the universe is through Nature – to admire and love its beauty, to be grateful for its gifts, and to acknowledge that all we have comes from it.
When you can think of the past and the future, then you will realize that your present circumstance is a gift.
Every day examine yourself for new flaws and imperfections, but never allow yourself to be pessimistic about your defects – for the worst thing which can happen to you is to stop learning.
God never requires of us more than we can bear.
One can be happy even if one has no possessions whatsoever, provided that one has a tranquil spirit.
Whoever finds fault lacks a sense of humor; for there is something ludicrous in the fact that those who criticize us always get it wrong. The most important thing is not to stop questioning–that would be superstition –and it is up to each person to find the answer for himself.
What is the good of having the strongest body if it is not exercised?
To avoid being ill: never become angry, never be jealous, never think ill of anyone.
They say that there are only ten days left before | Judgment Day – and to do something with them don’t let yourself wait for time to pass you by but make a start today!
The dead are like passengers in the ship of life: They must obey all its rules, even if they do not agree with them.
I am not poor and I have all that I require: I am rich in that which is within me, and what is needful will never be lacking.
To bear the burden of our own problems is to fail in our duty.
It is one of the most important tasks of a man to educate himself, educating himself means to become wise so as to become equal to his own responsibilities and therefore capable of understanding the needs of others.

Marcus Aurelius Quotes

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”
“Objective judgment, now at this very moment. Unselfish action, now at this very moment. Willing acceptance—now at this very moment—of all external events.”
“To avoid criticism – do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
“It is not by wealth or great possessions that happiness is purchased, but by the enjoyment of them.
“Life is a series of lessons. The more lessons you learn, the sooner you graduate.”
“For in truth, we ought to forgive everything to everyone and not hold it against anyone that he should have done wrong.”
“There are two ways of looking at things: one is as they appear to the untutored eye – the other as they really are.”
“A man’s character is determined by the kinds of friends he keeps.”
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
“Sleeping and waking are merely stating of mind. You can change your state at any time.”
The mark which makes a human being truly happy is to have learned to love all men.”
“If a man has two loaves of bread in his bag, he will not look so hungry as when he has only one.”
“True happiness is the consciousness of the presence within you of eternal life, which is identical with the being of God.”
“Fortune is a woman.”
“All men by nature desire to know. “Knowing is preferable to ignorance. It is the great salvation of us poor human beings.”
“It is not what happens that matters but how you react to it.” “If we are ready at any moment to make the best of what happens, then everything happens well for us and we experience life as it is meant to be lived.”
“Your hand can do what your mind cannot. The mind is for finding out and arranging; the hand is for doing.”

Marcus Aurelius Quotes on Love

“Doing is nobler than knowing. To be able to do and to know are two separate things.”
“He who suffers many misfortunes gains strength by overcoming them.”
“Bear everything lightly so long as you can keep a good heart.”
“Never recall a painful event without learning something good from it.
“Do not look at how small the world is, but look at how big it is.”
“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life!”
“Anger makes us blind, and hatred makes us stupid.”
“Life breaks everyone, and many breaks under it.”
“The time is ripe to act, not to be carried away by events.”
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
“Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.”
“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.”
“Pain or damage don’t last forever. A moment is all it takes to lift off its weight, but our inertia makes us keep it.”
“Adapt to what is, and you will move safely in the world.”
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”