Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: Not as though thou hadst thousands of…
Not as though thou hadst thousands of years to live. Death hangs over thee: whilst yet thou livest, whilst thou mayest, be good.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
Do not live as if goodness is a project you can schedule for a distant future. Death is not a threat meant to frighten you; it is a fact meant to wake you up. We postpone apologies, courage, generosity, and disciplined effort because we assume there will be a more convenient moment. But life does not promise a clean opening for transformation. Being good is usually not dramatic anyway. It is returning the call, keeping the promise, resisting the cheap shot, doing your work honestly, and making time for the person in front of you. You do not need to overhaul your life tonight. You need to stop treating decency as optional. Before the day ends, do one thing your future self would wish you had not delayed.
Related passages
- Marcus Aurelius The Chaldeans and Astrologians having foretold the deaths of divers, were afterwards themselves surprised by the…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not live as if you had endless years ahead. Death stands near; while you are able, become good.
- Marcus Aurelius Let death surprise me when it will, and where it will, I may be εὔμοιρος, or a happy man, nevertheless. For he is a…