70 Marcus Aurelius quotes on Life, Death and Love

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.

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

1. To love only what happens, what was destined. No greater harmony. – Marcus Aurelius

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2. “A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.” ― Marcus Aurelius

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3. It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. – Marcus Aurelius

4. Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature’s delight. – Marcus Aurelius

5. “Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.” ― Marcus Aurelius

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

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.

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