121–180 CE · Stoicism
Marcus Aurelius on what you can control
This is the hinge of Marcus's philosophy: distress comes from our estimate of things, never the things themselves, and that estimate is always ours to revise. What lies outside the mind, he held, cannot touch the mind unless we let it.
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
Marcus Aurelius — Meditations, Book 8
Try this
- Separate the event from your verdict on it.
- Revoke the judgement and the disturbance leaves with it.
Questions
What did Marcus Aurelius say about what you can control?
This is the hinge of Marcus's philosophy: distress comes from our estimate of things, never the things themselves, and that estimate is always ours to revise. What lies outside the mind, he held, cannot touch the mind unless we let it.
Where did Marcus Aurelius write about what you can control?
In Meditations, Book 8.
Ask Marcus about your what you can control
Put your own situation to Marcus Aurelius and hear the answer in their own words.
Talk to Marcus