Marcus Aurelius quotes with sources (and what they mean)
Short answer: These lines are copied word for word from George Long's 1862 translation of the Meditations, with book and section numbers so you can check them.
Take away thy opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint, "I have been harmed." Take away the complaint, "I have been harmed," and the harm is taken away.
— Meditations 4.7
Much of what hurts is the story we add. Remove the judgment and the injury shrinks.
Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.
— Meditations 4.49
Steadiness is not the absence of trouble; it is standing firm while trouble keeps coming.
If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs thee, but thy own judgment about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgment now.
— Meditations 8.47
The core of the dichotomy of control: events are outside you, judgments are yours to change.
Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.
— Meditations 4.17
Memento mori as motivation, not gloom: time is short, so act well today.
Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.
— Meditations 5.16
What you think about often becomes who you are. Choose daily reading with care.
No longer talk at all about the kind of man that a good man ought to be, but be such.
— Meditations 10.16
Philosophy as practice: stop debating virtue and act on it.
FAQ
Why do Marcus Aurelius quotes online look so different?
Many circulate in loose paraphrase, and some were never written by him. Check the book and section number in a translation.
Which translation is this?
George Long (1862), which is in the public domain. Modern translations by Gregory Hays or Robin Hard read more easily but are under copyright.
Did Marcus write the Meditations for publication?
No. They were private notes to himself, which is why they read like reminders.