Putting Things in Perspective

Posted on by Mitch
Image source: http://www.britannica.com

From the brilliant mind of Marcus Aurelius:

To feel affection for people even when they make mistakes is uniquely human. You can do it, if you simply recognize: that they’re human too, that they act out of ignorance, against their will, and that you’ll both be dead before long. And, above all, that they haven’t really hurt you. They haven’t diminished your ability to choose.

26 thoughts on “Putting Things in Perspective”

      1. I have. My copy is looking a little worse for wear now, creased, folded and very dog-eared, even notes in the margins! It used to travel with me and is likely one of my most perused books.

        I feel it’s best consumed in bite sized chunks, each passage ruminated before moving onto the next one.

        It is likely responsible for my appreciation at least initially of stoicism and then Greek philosophy as a whole.

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      2. Aw, I love worn-out books. It means the owner has read them well and often.

        I agree with you. It can’t be read in one gulp. I usually read it in the mornings when I’m trying to take my time and savour the moment just before I need to go to work. It’s like a Bible.

        I’ve only discovered stoicism several years ago so I have a lot to learn. What other books on stoicism would you suggest?

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      3. I sometimes cheat by buying second hand books with a… certain ‘patina’. I’m fascinated by what other people have underlined and found relevant. I have this second hand copy of Don Quixote… I found the previous authors more fascinating than the book itself. Haha. That might make me a bit of literary voyeur.

        I’m weary of recommending other books on stoicism. I find Marcus the most relatable of the ‘ancients’. Ryan Holidays book, The Daily Stoic is really good in terms of daily, post wake up, bite-sized, ‘goodness’, that sorta collates stoicism into a ‘best of’. I’m comfortable recommending that.

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      4. I can totally relate about the fascination with second hand books. Sometimes I buy them because of the scribbles and mementos I find within the pages, like bookmarks and photographs. Haha. I’m curious what the previous owner of Don Quixote left in the book. 😄

        I’ve come across Holiday but haven’t bought a copy of his book yet. I will next time. Thanks for the recommendation. 🙂

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      5. *picks Don Quixote off the shelf*

        ‘and what with little sleep and much reading his brains got so dry that he lost his wits’

        Underlined aggressively… with note in the margin, ‘Can totally relate’

        😀

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      1. I’ll tell you what, if time travel does get invented in out lifetime, he is the guy I want to visit. Seriously, if we could recreate a virtual Marcus, he could teach school. #teamMarcus I’m gonna write a post about that!

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      2. Oh, me too! He is certainly on the list of people I’d love to meet. He could teach us so much about life. Haha! You should. I’d love to read that.

        P.S. I named our two new puppies Marcus and Aurelius. 😄

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