Always observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are. Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew. – Marcus Aurelius
Aptitude found in the understanding and is often inherited. Genius coming from reason and imagination, rarely. – Marcus Aurelius
Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too. – Marcus Aurelius
Begin – to begin is half the work, let half still remain again begin this, and thou wilt have finished. – Marcus Aurelius
Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man–yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned to thee, live rationally, and part with life cheerfully, as drops the ripe olive, extolling the season that bore it and the tree that matured it. – Marcus Antonius