Rage against self, not others. Marcus Aurelius 2.6


All of us suffer reverses in life—some large, some small. Hardly anything that happens to us is purely our fault, and yet Marcus here advises himself to avoid shifting blame to others. Perhaps he felt that making good decisions is easier when you see yourself as a meaningful actor, someone who matters, who can bear whatever burden of shame or failure it may be your fate to find. You can hear the Greek <here>.


Ὕβριζε, ὕβριζε σεαυτήν, ὦ ψυχή· τοῦ δὲ τιμῆσαι σεαυτὴν οὐκέτι καιρὸν ἕξεις· εἷς γὰρ ὁ βίος ἑκάστῳ, οὗτος δέ σοι σχεδὸν διήνυσται, μὴ αἰδουμένῃ σεαυτήν, ἀλλ̓ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλων ψυχαῖς τιθεμένῃ τὴν σὴν εὐμοιρίαν.


Rage! Rage against yourself, o my soul (†). For there is no time you shall find fit for self-praise. One life is given to each of us, one soul. Your life, my soul, has provided no end of causes for shame, but it has also taught you to seek happiness in the company of other souls.

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(†) The Greek word for soul, psyche (ψυχή), also means life, and refers broadly to any and every internal force that moves or animates our physical body.