Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.
Marcus Aurelius (121–180) was a Roman emperor and the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors. His Meditations began as private notes, written in Greek during military campaigns and never meant for publication — which gives them a tone rarely found elsewhere in ancient literature. He wrote them largely as reminders to himself.
About this theme: Inspiration
The word inspiration literally means breathing in — something arriving from outside. The image is old, and it explains why inspiration is so often discussed as a gift that either comes or does not. The working practice of almost everyone who has made anything says the opposite: it usually shows up in the middle of the work rather than before it.
More by Marcus Aurelius
- You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
- The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
- Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.
- Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself.
- The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.
More on Inspiration
- It always seems impossible until it's done.— Nelson Mandela
- Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.— Swami Vivekananda
- When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.— Henry Ford
- I would rather die of passion than of boredom.— Vincent van Gogh
- The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.— Friedrich Nietzsche