MMeditations — the digital archive
ENRU
Read / Book II / 2.1
MED. 2.1 Discipline of action
George Long · 1862 EN · Long

Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their TERMignorance of what is TERMgood and TERMevil. But I who have seen the TERMnature of the good that it is beautiful, and of the bad that it is ugly, and the nature of him who does wrong, that it is TERMakin to me, not only of the same blood or seed, but that it participates in the same TERMintelligence and the same TERMportion of the divinity, I can neither be injured by any of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him, For we are made for TERMco-operation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act TERMagainst one another then is contrary to nature; and it is acting against one another to be vexed and to turn away.

Original · ancient Greek

Ἕωθεν προλέγειν ἑαυτῷ· συντεύξομαι περιέργῳ, ἀχαρίστῳ, ὑβριστῇ, δολερῷ, βασκάνῳ, ἀκοινωνήτῳ· πάντα ταῦτα συμβέβηκεν ἐκείνοις παρὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν. ἐγὼ δὲ τεθεωρηκὼς τὴν φύσιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ὅτι καλόν, καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ ὅτι αἰσχρόν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος φύσιν ὅτι μοι συγγενής, οὐχὶ αἵματος ἢ σπέρματος τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ νοῦ καὶ θείας ἀπομοίρας μέτοχος, οὔτε βλαβῆναι ὑπό τινος αὐτῶν δύναμαι· αἰσχρῷ γάρ με οὐδεὶς περιβαλεῖ· οὔτε ὀργίζεσθαι τῷ συγγενεῖ δύναμαι οὔτε ἀπέχθεσθαι αὐτῷ. γεγόναμεν γὰρ πρὸς συνεργίαν ὡς πόδες, ὡς χεῖρες, ὡς βλέφαρα, ὡς οἱ στοῖχοι τῶν ἄνω καὶ κάτω ὀδόντων. τὸ οὖν ἀντιπράσσειν ἀλλήλοις παρὰ φύσιν· ἀντιπρακτικὸν δὲ τὸ ἀγανακτεῖν καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι.

Leopold · Teubner 1908
Commentary

Genre and place in the book. This opens Book II as an exercise — a combination of the EXERCISEmorning meditation with the EXERCISEanticipation of difficulties (praemeditatio malorum). It is not a theoretical fragment but a formula to be pronounced aloud or in the mind immediately upon waking: ἕωθεν προλέγειν ἑαυτῷ — "in the morning to say to yourself."

Structure of the argument. The passage unfolds in three steps:

  1. The diagnosis of others. Their vices are the consequence of TERMignorance of TERMgood and TERMevil. The ground for anger is thereby removed: the one who does harm is first of all the victim of his own error.
  2. Knowledge of the three natures. "I have come to see" (τεθεωρηκώς) the TERMnature (a) of the good — that it is fine; (b) of the bad — that it is shameful; (c) of the wrongdoer himself — that he is TERMakin to me by TERMintellect and the TERMdivine portion. See DOGMAoikeiosis (ethical appropriation) and DOGMAunity-of-cosmos (the ontological ground of kinship).
  3. Ethical conclusion. From (1) and (2) it follows: I cannot be harmed (DOGMAno-harm-to-virtuous), and I cannot be angry with one akin to me. The positive norm is TERMcooperation (the images MOTIFbody-parts and MOTIFcooperation); its negation is TERMcounter-action (παρὰ φύσιν, contrary to nature).

The disciplines. The principal discipline is the discipline of action: how to bear oneself toward others. The secondary discipline is that of assent: how to qualify one's neighbour's deeds, refusing to assent to the evaluative judgment "he is harming me." The discipline of desire is engaged through the doctrine of DOGMAno-harm-to-virtuous: the only thing it is rational to avoid is one's own vice.

A terminological subtlety. In the culminating formula μετοχὴ νοῦ καὶ θείας ἀπομοίρας — "the share in intellect and the divine portion" — Marcus uses TERMνοῦς rather than the narrower ἡγεμονικόν. This is not accidental: the emphasis is on common rationality as an ontological bond among all human beings, not as the individual centre of decision. The conclusion about TERMkinship extends to every human being, not only to the sage.

Stylistics. In the Greek, a cascade of cognates around the root συν-: συγγενής, συνεργία, συγγενεῖ. Running in parallel is the play on ἀντι-: ἀντιπράσσειν, ἀντιπρακτικόν. The lexicon itself prompts the thought: what is not "together" is "against"; there is no third option.

Parallels. The generic source is Epictetus, Ench. 4 ("when you are about to go to the bath, picture to yourself…"); Disc. 1.2.1–5. The image of the single body is a Stoic topos; cf. Sen. Ep. 95.52 ("we are members of one great body") and Marcus Med. 7.13 (the play on μέλος / μέρος: a member, not just a part).

Discipline Discipline of action
Record added 2026-05-17
Status published
Read · Book II
Discipline of action

MED. II.1

Original · ancient Greek

Ἕωθεν προλέγειν ἑαυτῷ· συντεύξομαι περιέργῳ, ἀχαρίστῳ, ὑβριστῇ, δολερῷ, βασκάνῳ, ἀκοινωνήτῳ· πάντα ταῦτα συμβέβηκεν ἐκείνοις παρὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν. ἐγὼ δὲ τεθεωρηκὼς τὴν φύσιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ὅτι καλόν, καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ ὅτι αἰσχρόν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος φύσιν ὅτι μοι συγγενής, οὐχὶ αἵματος ἢ σπέρματος τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ νοῦ καὶ θείας ἀπομοίρας μέτοχος, οὔτε βλαβῆναι ὑπό τινος αὐτῶν δύναμαι· αἰσχρῷ γάρ με οὐδεὶς περιβαλεῖ· οὔτε ὀργίζεσθαι τῷ συγγενεῖ δύναμαι οὔτε ἀπέχθεσθαι αὐτῷ. γεγόναμεν γὰρ πρὸς συνεργίαν ὡς πόδες, ὡς χεῖρες, ὡς βλέφαρα, ὡς οἱ στοῖχοι τῶν ἄνω καὶ κάτω ὀδόντων. τὸ οὖν ἀντιπράσσειν ἀλλήλοις παρὰ φύσιν· ἀντιπρακτικὸν δὲ τὸ ἀγανακτεῖν καὶ ἀποστρέφεσθαι.

Leopold · Teubner 1908
George Long · 1862 · EN · Long

Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their TERMignorance of what is TERMgood and TERMevil. But I who have seen the TERMnature of the good that it is beautiful, and of the bad that it is ugly, and the nature of him who does wrong, that it is TERMakin to me, not only of the same blood or seed, but that it participates in the same TERMintelligence and the same TERMportion of the divinity, I can neither be injured by any of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him, For we are made for TERMco-operation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act TERMagainst one another then is contrary to nature; and it is acting against one another to be vexed and to turn away.

Related 16
TERM ἀγαθόν the good TERM κακόν evil, the bad TERM ἄγνοια ignorance TERM συγγενής kindred, akin TERM νοῦς intellect, mind, the rational faculty TERM θεία ἀπομοῖρα the divine portion, the portion broken off from god TERM συνέργια cooperation, joint action TERM φύσις nature TERM ἀντιπράσσειν to act against, to counter-act DOGMA Oikeiōsis — appropriation expanding from the self to the rational community DOGMA The unity of the cosmos — all things bound by a single Logos DOGMA No harm can come to the virtuous EXERCISE Praemeditatio malorum — the anticipation of future ills EXERCISE Morning meditation MOTIF Body parts — humans as members of one organism MOTIF Cooperation — the interaction of rational beings as a natural law
Commentary

Genre and place in the book. This opens Book II as an exercise — a combination of the EXERCISEmorning meditation with the EXERCISEanticipation of difficulties (praemeditatio malorum). It is not a theoretical fragment but a formula to be pronounced aloud or in the mind immediately upon waking: ἕωθεν προλέγειν ἑαυτῷ — "in the morning to say to yourself."

Structure of the argument. The passage unfolds in three steps:

  1. The diagnosis of others. Their vices are the consequence of TERMignorance of TERMgood and TERMevil. The ground for anger is thereby removed: the one who does harm is first of all the victim of his own error.
  2. Knowledge of the three natures. "I have come to see" (τεθεωρηκώς) the TERMnature (a) of the good — that it is fine; (b) of the bad — that it is shameful; (c) of the wrongdoer himself — that he is TERMakin to me by TERMintellect and the TERMdivine portion. See DOGMAoikeiosis (ethical appropriation) and DOGMAunity-of-cosmos (the ontological ground of kinship).
  3. Ethical conclusion. From (1) and (2) it follows: I cannot be harmed (DOGMAno-harm-to-virtuous), and I cannot be angry with one akin to me. The positive norm is TERMcooperation (the images MOTIFbody-parts and MOTIFcooperation); its negation is TERMcounter-action (παρὰ φύσιν, contrary to nature).

The disciplines. The principal discipline is the discipline of action: how to bear oneself toward others. The secondary discipline is that of assent: how to qualify one's neighbour's deeds, refusing to assent to the evaluative judgment "he is harming me." The discipline of desire is engaged through the doctrine of DOGMAno-harm-to-virtuous: the only thing it is rational to avoid is one's own vice.

A terminological subtlety. In the culminating formula μετοχὴ νοῦ καὶ θείας ἀπομοίρας — "the share in intellect and the divine portion" — Marcus uses TERMνοῦς rather than the narrower ἡγεμονικόν. This is not accidental: the emphasis is on common rationality as an ontological bond among all human beings, not as the individual centre of decision. The conclusion about TERMkinship extends to every human being, not only to the sage.

Stylistics. In the Greek, a cascade of cognates around the root συν-: συγγενής, συνεργία, συγγενεῖ. Running in parallel is the play on ἀντι-: ἀντιπράσσειν, ἀντιπρακτικόν. The lexicon itself prompts the thought: what is not "together" is "against"; there is no third option.

Parallels. The generic source is Epictetus, Ench. 4 ("when you are about to go to the bath, picture to yourself…"); Disc. 1.2.1–5. The image of the single body is a Stoic topos; cf. Sen. Ep. 95.52 ("we are members of one great body") and Marcus Med. 7.13 (the play on μέλος / μέρος: a member, not just a part).

DisciplineDiscipline of action
Record added2026-05-17
Statuspublished
Copy