Marcus Aurelius quotes on Life, Death and Love
These incredible Marcus Aurelius quotes withstand the test of time.
March 20, 2023 3:20 AM EST
Want to channel the inner Roman emperor in you?
Allow these thought-provoking Marcus Aurelius quotes to help you do it.
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor who is best known for his intellectual pursuits.
One of the most cherished Roman emperors in history, Aurelius is remembered for his studious nature and his rule driven by reason.
According to a study by researchers at the University of Reading, practicing gratitude can improve well-being and reduce symptoms of depression.
This statistic can be used to support Marcus Aurelius’s idea that gratitude is essential for a happy life.
Aurelius was one of the most important proponents of Stoicism, the philosophy that teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming negative emotions.
He wrote one of the biggest works of philosophy, Meditations, a collection of his thoughts and notes on life based on his Stoic beliefs.
Born: 26 April 121
Died: 17 March 180 AD
Below are some of the best Marcus Aurelius quotes to inspire you to create your own happiness and live your best life.
Don’t forget to also check out our list of Stoicism quotes that will strengthen your perspective on life.
Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.
Our inspirational quotes category page has all of our motivational quotes for all the different areas of life.
Marcus Aurelius quotes on Life, Death and Love
According to a study by researchers at the University of Exeter, spending time in nature can improve well-being and reduce stress.
This statistic can be used to support Marcus Aurelius’s idea that nature is an essential part of life and can help us find peace and tranquility.
1. To love only what happens, what was destined. No greater harmony. – Marcus Aurelius
![To love only what happens, what was destined. No greater harmony. - Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius quotes on love](images/marcus-aurelius-quotes-on-life.png)
You will also enjoy our article on Stoic quotes.
2. “A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.” ― Marcus Aurelius
![“A person's worth is measured by the worth of what he values.” ― Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius quotes about values](images/marcus-aurelius-quotes-on-death.png)
You will also enjoy our article on Latin quotes.
3. It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. – Marcus Aurelius
![It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. - Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius quotes about death](images/marcus-aurelius-quotes-on-love.png)
4. Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature’s delight. – Marcus Aurelius
![Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight. - Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius quotes about loss](images/marcus-aurelius-quotes-about-life.png)
5. “Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.” ― Marcus Aurelius
![“Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.” ― Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius quotes on Life](images/marcus-aurelius-quotes-about-happiness.png)
6. It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own. – Marcus Aurelius
7. How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. – Marcus Aurelius
8. “Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power.” ― Marcus Aurelius
9. Time is a river, a violent current of events, glimpsed once and already carried past us, and another follows and is done. – Marcus Aurelius
10. When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. – Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius quotes about life and happiness
A study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that meditation can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
This statistic can be used to support Marcus Aurelius’s emphasis on the importance of mindfulness and meditation in managing our emotions and thoughts.
11. Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. ― Marcus Aurelius
12. You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. ― Marcus Aurelius
13. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” ― Marcus Aurelius
14. “Though you break your heart, men will go on as before.” ― Marcus Aurelius
15. Remember that very little is needed to make a happy life. ― Marcus Aurelius
16. Pleasures, when they go beyond a certain limit, are but punishments. ― Marcus Aurelius
17. To live the good life: We have the potential for it. If we can learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference. ― Marcus Aurelius
18. “It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.” – Marcus Aurelius
19. “Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.” – Marcus Aurelius
20. “You’re better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.” – Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius quotes to inspire you to live your best life
21. No man can escape his destiny, the next inquiry being how he may best live the time that he has to live. ― Marcus Aurelius
22. Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul. ― Marcus Aurelius
23. A man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions. ― Marcus Aurelius
24. “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” ― Marcus Aurelius
25. Tomorrow is nothing, today is too late; the good lived yesterday. – Marcus Aurelius
26. Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so. ― Marcus Aurelius
27. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” ― Marcus Aurelius
28. “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.” ― Marcus Aurelius
29. “Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.”
― Marcus Aurelius
30. Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life. ― Marcus Aurelius
31. While you live, while it is in your power, be good. ― Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius quotes about time and the future
32. “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.”
― Marcus Aurelius
33. “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” ― Marcus Aurelius
34. “What we do now echoes in eternity.” ― Marcus Aurelius
35. The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time. ― Marcus Aurelius
36. “The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.” ― Marcus Aurelius
37. “Confine yourself to the present” ― Marcus Aurelius
38. “You must become an old man in good time if you wish to be an old man long.” ― Marcus Aurelius
39. “Let men see, let them know, a real man, who lives as he was meant to live.” ― Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius quotes to elevate your thoughts
41. If you didn’t learn these things in order to demonstrate them in practice, what did you learn them for? ― Marcus Aurelius
42. Only attend to yourself, and resolve to be a good man in every act that you do. ― Marcus Aurelius
43. “You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don’t care at all.” – Marcus Aurelius
44. “Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question, what fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize.” ― Marcus Aurelius
45. “Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible.” ― Marcus Aurelius
46. “Misfortune nobly born is good fortune.”― Marcus Aurelius
47. “A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.”― Marcus Aurelius
48. “Every living organism is fulfilled when it follows the right path for its own nature.” ― Marcus Aurelius
49. “Live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.” ― Marcus Aurelius
50. “All things fade and quickly turn to myth.” ― Marcus Aurelius
Other Marcus Aurelius quotes
51. “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
52. “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
53. “Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back.” – Marcus Aurelius
54. “Your life is an expression of all your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
55. “You have to assemble your life yourself – action by action.” – Marcus Aurelius
56. “Live your life as if you are ready to say goodbye to it at any moment as if the time left for you were some pleasant surprise.” – Marcus Aurelius
57. “Adapt yourself to the life you have been given; and truly love the people with whom destiny has surrounded you.” – Marcus Aurelius
58. “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.” – Marcus Aurelius
59. “Whoever values peace of mind and the health of the soul will live the best of all possible lives.” – Marcus Aurelius
60. “Always bear this in mind, that very little indeed is necessary for living a happy life.” – Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius quotes to think about
61. “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” –Marcus Aurelius
62. “Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.” –Marcus Aurelius
63. “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” –Marcus Aurelius
64. “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.” –Marcus Aurelius
65. “He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.” -Marcus Aurelius
66. “Nothing happens to any man that he is not formed by nature to bear.” –Marcus Aurelius
67. “Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.” –Marcus Aurelius
68. “To the wise, life is a problem; to the fool, a solution.” -Marcus Aurelius
69. “Here is the rule to remember in the future, When anything tempts you to be bitter: not, ‘This is a misfortune’ but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.’” –Marcus Aurelius
70. “Let not your mind run on what you lack as much as on what you already have.” –Marcus Aurelius
Which are your favorite Marcus Aurelius quotes
Marcus Aurelius was one of the most respected emperors in Roman history and is remembered for his rule driven by reason and his intellectual interest.
He was one of the most important proponents of Stoicism, a philosophy that emphasizes self-improvement.
Hopefully, these Marcus Aurelius quotes have inspired you to create your own happiness.
Did you enjoy these Marcus Aurelius quotes?
Which of the quotes was your favorite?
We would love to hear all about it in the comment section below.
Also, feel free to share the quotes with your friends and family.
Aiziregye Keffa
July 30, 2022 at 7:51 AM
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts
Charles
July 25, 2020 at 4:56 PM
“The only wealth you will keep forever is the one you gave away”
U
elise kiregian
July 10, 2020 at 12:37 PM
What we do now echoes in eternity.
Brett B Strouss
March 23, 2020 at 4:36 PM
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” ― Marcus Aurelius
Oh how much better our world would be if more of us applied this, especially in social media!
Yvonne Spencer
October 15, 2019 at 6:32 AM
I do enjoy Marcus Aurelius quotes; they are inspirational! Thank you for publishing them. Today have ordered his book ‘Meditations’
Thank you
Etienne
July 5, 2019 at 10:39 AM
I was looking for some material on Stoicism + love. Thanks for the quotes.