Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: That which is a hindrance of the…
That which is a hindrance of the appetitive and prosecutive faculty, is an evil to the sensitive nature. As of the sensitive, so of the vegetative constitution, whatsoever is a hindrance unto it, is also in that respect an evil unto the same.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
Every living thing has functions that can be hindered. A plant needs light and water. An animal needs movement and nourishment. A human being needs those things too, but we also have a distinct capacity: reasoned choice. Marcus is drawing a useful line between discomfort and genuine harm. Not everything that frustrates an impulse damages us as people. You may not get the meal you wanted, the trip you planned, or the recognition you expected. Your appetite was blocked, but your character remains intact. Real harm enters when we abandon our rational and social nature—when we become unjust, cowardly, or ruled by impulse. This distinction helps us keep setbacks in proportion. Today, when you feel denied, ask what has truly been impaired. If your capacity to choose well remains, the most important part of you is still available.
Related passages
- Marcus Aurelius A black or malign disposition, an effeminate disposition; an hard inexorable disposition, a wild inhuman disposition,…
- Marcus Aurelius Accept then, and be pleased with whatsoever doth happen, though otherwise harsh and un-pleasing, as tending to that…
- Marcus Aurelius All, petty things; all things that are soon altered, soon perished. And all things come from one beginning; either all…