Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: In the morning as soon as thou art…
In the morning as soon as thou art awaked, when thy judgment, before either thy affections, or external objects have wrought upon it, is yet most free and impartial: put this question to thyself, whether if that which is right and just be done, the doing of it by thyself, or by others when thou art not able thyself; be a thing material or no. For sure it is not.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
It is easy to confuse goodness with personal control. We want to be the one who fixes the problem, receives credit, and sees the result. Marcus asks us to release that vanity. If the right thing gets done—by you, by a colleague, by a stranger, even without your name attached—is that not enough? The answer reveals whether you care about justice or about starring in the story of justice. This is especially useful in teams, families, and communities. You can offer an idea, train someone, make an introduction, or step aside so another person can do what is needed. The work still matters even when you are not its visible author. Today, do one useful thing without making sure everyone knows it was yours. Let the result be the reward.
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