The Folly of courting Celebrity. Marcus Aurelius 6.18

Marcus reflects on the desire for celebrity that he discovers among many contemporary Romans, and finds it rather absurd. If we court too assiduously the thanks and praise of people we never meet, we are apt to forget that real human relationships are only possible with those whose presence we share.

Οἷόν ἐστιν ὃ ποιοῦσι. τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ χρόνου καὶ μεθ’ ἑαυτῶν ζῶντας ἀνθρώπους εὐφημεῖν οὐ θέλουσιν, αὐτοὶ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν μεταγενεστέρων εὐφημηθῆναι, οὓς οὔτε εἶδόν ποτε οὔτε ὄψονται, περὶ πολλοῦ ποιοῦνται. τοῦτο δὲ ἐγγύς ἐστι τῷ λυπηθῆναι ἄν, ὅτι οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ προγενέστεροι περὶ σοῦ λόγους εὐφήμους ἐποιοῦντο.

This is the sort of thing people do: they do not want praise from those who live with them, sharing the same moment in time & space. Instead, they make much of being praised by future generations, whom they have never seen and will never see. This is very near to being grieved because past generations never dedicated speeches of praise to you.