Marcus Aurelius Quotes on Death
Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors. This page collects quotes attributed to Marcus Aurelius on the topic of death, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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“Think not disdainfully of death, but look on it with favor; for even death is one of the things that Nature wills.”
Meditations, Book IX | IX, 3 -
“Turn thy thoughts now to the consideration of thy life, thy life as a child, as a youth, thy manhood, thy old age, for in these also every change was a death. Is this anything to fear?”
Meditations, Book IX | IX, 21 -
“The longest-lived and the shortest-lived man, when they come to die, lose one and the same thing.”
Meditations, Book II | II, 14 -
“Be straightforward. Look at things like a man, like a human being, like a citizen, like a mortal.”
Meditations, Book IV | IV, 4 -
“Not to live as if you had endless years ahead of you. Death overshadows you. While you're alive and able—be good.”
Meditations, Book IV | IV, 17 -
“Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn't matter. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored. Dying . . . or busy with other assignments.”
Meditations, Book VI | VI, 2