Marcus Aurelius
“No longer talk at all about the kind of man that a good man ought to be, but be such.”
Meditations, X.16 · tr. George Long, 1862
Documented source
Source
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, X.16
Translator
George Long, 1862 (public domain)
Wording
Exact per Long translation
Every quote here is traced to a documented source. How we verify →
About this line
Meditations was a private notebook Marcus Aurelius never meant anyone to read — an emperor talking himself into being better, entry by entry. This one cuts off its own philosophizing mid-thought: stop describing the good man, and be him.
Why we carry this line
Actions over words. Easy quote to add.
