12 Powerful Marcus Aurelius Quotes about Stoicism

Written by Justin Mitchell

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and a philosopher, embodying the rare "philosopher king" archetype. He's considered to be one of the best Roman Emperors of all time, and one of the most important Stoic philosophers. He is considered by many an idol of masculinity and stoic values. Marcus is an enduring symbol of not only stoicism, but of Roman civilization as a whole.

Here are some of the best Marcus Aurelius quotes about Stoicism, happiness, truth and masculinity.


"You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." - Marcus Aurelius


This is the foundation of stoicism. You have control over yourself, not the outside world. To be fully effective as an individual, we must focus on what's in our control. 

Although we have influence on what goes on in the world, our ultimate control only consists of our own mind and actions. If we fail to master ourselves, we will undoubtedly become a slave to external circumstances.


"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius


We project our own meaning onto life, not the other way around. What we tend to think about matters. 

If we eat junk food all day, our bad diet will negatively impact our health. By this same token, if we think primarily negative thoughts, our perception of our own human experience and the world will be profoundly negative.

We have a large amount of control over what sort of thoughts we will entertain and delve into. The wise man seeks to maintain a quality diet of thoughts, just as he desires to eat a nutrient-rich meal. 


"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius


Every assertion of truth in the world, whether it be presented as a "fact", scientific or not, is just an opinion. It's a perspective, and does not necessarily represent an ultimate truth.

Science itself is often confused as truth, but it is not truth. It's the pursuit of truth. Old science which was once considered a fact, after a significant period of time, is often revealed as a mere opinion shared by many.

The paradox here is glaring, because even this quote itself is a perspective. Stoicism is a perspective. Religions are a perspective. What is gained with this perspective of knowledge?

In acknowledging that all knowledge is a perspective, we must set out to cultivate our own perspective of the world, rather than blindly accepting the perspective of others. This can be done through observation, experience, inquiry and reason. The truth is not found in a book, or a podcast, or a YouTube video. It's found in our day-to-day actions and life.


"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." - Marcus Aurelius


The intellect likes to chew on ideas for the same reason we like to eat food. The problem is when we like to chew on these ideas just because they taste good, rather than actually putting them into action.

Reading, learning and consuming content is not useful if we do not put our new knowledge to work. 

He who knows but does not act, does not really understand.


"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." - Marcus Aurelius


Our brains are constantly bombarded with stimuli from the outer world. Inputs come in, and our actions (outputs) go out. In this dance, we often forget that we have complete control over our response to a situation. This is where our true power lies, in the ability to choose our reactions to things.

In choosing our reactions, we go from being reactive, to proactive. We're no longer being blown around by our circumstances, we are creating them.

In practicing our discipline and ability to self-determine, we slowly achieve a greater mastery over our own mind, and our own life.


"When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.." - Marcus Aurelius


Every day we are living and breathing is a day we should be grateful. Nothing is promised tomorrow. Tomorrow does not even exist. All there is, is right now.

How spectacular is it that out of all of the trillions of lifeforms to have ever existed, 99.9999% of them are dead, and we are here, alive, breathing, thinking and feeling? 

I don't know about you, but that makes me feel incredibly lucky to be alive, no matter the challenges presented by the day. 


"The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury." - Marcus Aurelius


When someone wrongs us, our initial reaction may be to seek some sort of revenge. Often, these reactions are automatic and unconscious. It's a relic of our rich genetic history. 

In order to move beyond mere simple autonomous reactions, we can seek to avoid them. Not every action needs a reaction. Not every wrong-doing needs another wrong-doing. 


If we act like those we despise, just because they treat us in despicable ways, how does that make us any different than they?


"This is the mark of perfection of character - to spend each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, laziness, or any pretending." - Marcus Aurelius


Our time in this body, on this Earth, is limited. To waste one's time, is the most foolish action of all. What would life be without time? Time is the most valuable resource we have, and our ability to waste it is unsettling.

How would you live if you acted like every day might be your last? What's stopping you from acting like this every day?


"In your actions, don't procrastinate. In your conversations, don't confuse. In your thoughts, don't wander. In your soul, don't be passive or aggressive. In your life, don't be all about business." - Marcus Aurelius

The answers we seek are simple, and there is a balance to be reached. In valuing our time, not giving in to vice, and not dedicating our entire life to pursuing superficial luxuries like wealth and fame, we can achieve every goal we set our aim toward. 

Even in the seriousness of an endeavor such as this, we can still maintain a playful, joyous attitude toward life. Don't take yourself too seriously!


"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


Ultimately, we all have a fate. If you are reading this right now, you were fated to do so. We cannot know what our ultimate fate is, it's only revealed to us slowly each day.

In this chaotic dance of life, the best attitude toward fate is of radical acceptance. Love your fate. Love those who fate has brought to this journey with you. 

Rather than seeing fate as a predetermined, undesirable outcome, choose to love your fate. Whether you love your fate or not, you have one, and it's being chipped away at each day, until you die. 

A great tragedy would be to die and not accept and love one's own fate, no matter what it is.


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


It's easy to get wrapped up in the mundane, repetitive nature of life. We can be unconsciously cruising through life on autopilot. We naturally prefer comfort, safety and predictability. What if we were doing this out of fear?

Are you scared to live a more interesting life? Are you living in your comfort zone? Maybe it's time for you to confront this fear. 

A life may be squandered in the grips of fear, but well spent in the presence of courage.


"A man should have an object or purpose in life, that he may direct all his energies to it; of course a good object. He who has not one object or purpose in life, cannot be one and the same all through his life." - Marcus Aurelius


Without a purpose, we are blown around in life. We go from one thing to the next, internally restless. We may feel stressed out but are not sure why. We have desires, but they always seem to expand rather than contract. We exhibit a nagging unhappiness that seems to always show its head.

This is the life of a man without a purpose. It's not a life well lived.

Marcus Aurelius is a voice of reason that can be helpful in times of distress, or even as a gentle reminder when you are becoming too comfortable in life. Stoicism at its core, is about confronting the struggles of life, regardless if you are afraid of them. It's about being who you want to be, despite what others may think. It's about pursuing a life of flourishing, rather than passively letting life happen to you.