Marcus Aurelius Quotes on Love
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 love, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Marcus Aurelius:
“Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, and do so with all your heart.”
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“Of Fronto, to how much envy and fraud and hypocrisy the state of a tyrannous king is subject unto, and how they who are commonly called [Eupatridas Gk.], i.e. nobly born, are in some sort incapable, or void of natural affection.”
I, 8 -
“Not to display anger or other emotions. To be free of passion and yet full of love. (Hays translation)”
I, 9 -
“Doth perfect beauty stand in need of praise at all? Nay; no more than law, no more than truth, no more than loving kindness, nor than modesty.”
Meditations, Book IV | IV, 20 -
“Observe always that everything is the result of a change, and get used to thinking that there is nothing Nature loves so well as to change existing forms and to make new ones like them.”
Meditations, Book IV | IV, 36 -
“In the constitution of that rational animal I see no virtue which is opposed to justice, but I see a virtue which is opposed to love of pleasure, and that is temperance .”
Meditations, Book VIII | VIII, 39