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Marcus Aurelius on how to begin the morning

c. 170–180 CE, Carnuntum. His own words, in the Meditations, notes written for himself.

Where and when

c. 170–180 CECarnuntum

about 1,851 years ago

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Marcus Aurelius

, CarnuntumHis own words, in the Meditations, notes written for himself

In plain words, ours

Start each morning telling yourself: today I will meet nosy, ungrateful, arrogant, lying, jealous, unfriendly people. They are like that because they do not know good from bad.

Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busybody, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.1Translated by George Long (1862)Read the full passage (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.1, opens gutenberg.org)

What was going on, our summary

This opens Book 2 of the Meditations, the private notebook Marcus Aurelius kept in Greek while at war on the Danube, c. 170–180 CE. Some books of the notebook end with where he was, such as Carnuntum.

Checked claim by claim against: Marcus Aurelius writes notes to himself at the front, the passage around the quote.

Why it matters

About the event it belongs to: Marcus Aurelius writes notes to himself at the front

The Meditations became one of the most important sources for the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy, and many commentators count it among the greatest works of philosophy.

Based on Wikipedia: Marcus Aurelius

As a philosopher, his work Meditations is one of the most important sources for the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy.

It has been considered by many commentators to be one of the greatest works of philosophy.

Wikipedia, Marcus Aurelius (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-06. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. c. 62–65 CEabout 112 years earlier Seneca on time, the only thing we own Also about how to live well
  2. by c. 135 CEabout 40 years earlier Epictetus on what is in our power Also about how to live well
  3. 170–180 CEDuring it Marcus Aurelius writes notes to himself at the front The event behind itAlso in Carnuntum
  4. c. 170–180 CEThis momentMarcus Aurelius on how to begin the morning
  5. c. 170–180 CEDuring it Marcus Aurelius on what his mother taught More from Marcus Aurelius
  6. c. 170–180 CEDuring it Marcus Aurelius on what Rusticus taught him More from Marcus Aurelius
  7. c. 170–180 CEDuring it Marcus Aurelius on working together Same passageMore from Marcus Aurelius
  8. 180 CEabout 5 years later Marcus Aurelius dies on campaign Same years

Just before and after

The text around the quote, word for word from the same translation.

Show the passageHide the passage

Among the Quadi at the Granua. If these words are genuine, Antoninus may have written this first book during the war with the Quadi. In the first edition of Antoninus, and in the older editions, the first three sections of the second book make the conclusion of the first book. Gataker placed them at the beginning of the second book.

The quote: Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busybody, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil.

But I who have seen the nature of the good that it is beautiful, and of the bad that it is ugly, and the nature of him who does wrong, that it is akin to me; not [only] of the same blood or seed, but that it participates in [the same] intelligence and [the same] portion of the divinity, I can neither be injured by any of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him. For we are made for co-operation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 1.17–2.1Translated by George Long (1862)Read the full passage (opens gutenberg.org)

When, and whose words

Date
c. 170–180 CE. Written late in his life on campaign; Book 2 ends “This in Carnuntum”, the army base on the Danube.
Whose words
His own words, in the Meditations, notes written for himself.
How this post was checked
  • The plain-words line was read against the quote alone by a second, independent pass, which found it adds no claim the quote does not make (2026-10-03).
  • Each claim in the summary was checked by an independent pass against only the material it cites.
  • The quote itself is checked by the build: word for word, once, at the cited section of the stored translation.

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