Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: It is against himself that he doth…
It is against himself that he doth offend: why should it trouble thee? Hath anything happened unto thee? It is well, whatsoever it be, it is that which of all the common chances of the world from the very beginning in the series of all other things that have, or shall happen, was destinated and appointed unto thee.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
When someone behaves badly, their first injury is to their own character. They have chosen dishonesty, pettiness, or cruelty, and that choice distorts them before it reaches you. Remembering this does not mean accepting mistreatment or refusing to protect yourself. It means you do not have to carry their moral failure as your personal burden. Marcus also reminds himself that difficult events belong to the shared lottery of being alive. We cannot guarantee immunity from rude people, setbacks, and losses. What we can refuse is the second wound: endless outrage, self-pity, or revenge. Today, if someone wrongs you, take whatever practical step is needed. Then release the demand that reality should have prevented it, and protect the part of you that still chooses how to respond.
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