[Illustration] The Thoughts of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus LONG’S TRANSLATION EDITED BY EDWIN GINN Contents PREFACE BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH THE THOUGHTS PHILOSOPHY OF MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS GENERAL INDEX [TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: All the footnotes have been moved to the end of the text. I have also relabeled the book headings; [I., II., … XI.] has been changed to [BOOK I., BOOK II., … BOOK XI.] at the start of each Section. I have also added a “1.” before the first “thought” in each BOOK.] PREFACE. Perhaps some may question the wisdom of putting out the Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to be used as a Reader by children in the schools. It may appear to them better suited to the mature mind. The principle, however, that has governed us in selecting reading for the young has been to secure the best that we could find in all ages for grown-up people. The milk and water diet provided for “my dear children” is not especially complimentary to them. They like to be treated like little men and women, capable of appreciating a good thing. One finds in this royal philosopher a rare generosity, sweetness and humility, qualities alike suited to all ages. Adopting the philosopher’s robe at twelve, he remains a student all his life. The precepts that he would give for the government of others, he has practised upon himself. In his time, as in ours, there were good physicians for the mind and body, who could make wise prescriptions for the government of their neighbors, but were unable to apply them to themselves. The faults of our fellows are so numerous and so easy to cure that one is readily tempted to become the physician, while our own faults are so few and so unimportant that it is hardly worth while to give any attention to them. Hence we have a multitude of physicians for humanity in general, and a scarcity of individual healers.