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MED. 5.5Discipline of action
George Long · 1862EN · Long

Thou sayest, Men cannot admire the sharpness of thy wits.- Be it so: but there are many other things of which thou canst not say, I am not formed for them by nature. Show those qualities then which are DOGMAaltogether in thy power, sincerity, gravity, endurance of labour, aversion to pleasure, contentment with thy portion and with few things, benevolence, frankness, no love of superfluity, freedom from trifling magnanimity. Dost thou not see how many qualities thou art immediately able to exhibit, in which there is no excuse of natural incapacity and unfitness, and yet thou still remainest voluntarily below the mark? Or art thou compelled through being defectively furnished by nature to murmur, and to be stingy, and to flatter, and to find fault with thy poor body, and to try to please men, and to make great display, and to be so restless in thy TERMmind? No, by the gods: but thou mightest have been delivered from these things long ago. Only if in truth thou canst be charged with being rather slow and dull of comprehension, thou must exert thyself about this also, not neglecting it nor yet taking pleasure in thy dulness.

Original · ancient Greek

Δριμύτητά σου οὐκ ἔχουσι θαυμάσαι· ἔστω, ἀλλὰ ἕτερα πολλά, ἐφ’ ὧν οὐκ ἔχεις εἰπεῖν· οὐ γὰρ πέφυκα. ἐκεῖνα οὖν παρέχου, ἅπερ ὅλα ἐστὶν ἐπὶ σοί, τὸ ἀκίβδηλον, τὸ σεμνόν, τὸ φερέπονον, τὸ ἀφιλήδονον, τὸ ἀμεμψίμοιρον, τὸ ὀλιγοδεές, τὸ εὐμενές, τὸ ἐλεύθερον, τὸ ἀπέρισσον, τὸ ἀφλύαρον, τὸ μεγαλεῖον. οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ πόσα ἤδη παρέχεσθαι δυνάμενος, ἐφ’ ὧν οὐδεμία ἀφυίας καὶ ἀνεπιτηδειότητος πρόφασις, ὅμως ἔτι κάτω μένεις ἑκών; ἢ καὶ γογγύζειν καὶ γλισχρεύεσθαι καὶ κολακεύειν καὶ τὸ σωμάτιον καταιτιᾶσθαι καὶ ἀρεσκεύεσθαι καὶ περπερεύεσθαι καὶ τοσαῦτα ῥιπτάζεσθαι τῇ ψυχῇ διὰ τὸ ἀφυῶς κατεσκευάσθαι ἀναγκάζῃ; οὐ μὰ τοὺς θεούς, ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν πάλαι ἀπηλλάχθαι ἐδύνασο, μόνον δέ, εἰ ἄρα, ὡς βραδύτερος καὶ δυσπαρακολουθητότερος καταγινώσκεσθαι. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀσκητέον μὴ παρενθυμουμένῳ μηδὲ ἐμφιληδονοῦντι τῇ νωθείᾳ.

Leopold · Teubner 1908
Commentary

Place in the book. The fifth passage is about character as the domain of "what is up to us." Marcus separates a natural gift (a quick mind) from the moral qualities open to everyone, and cuts away the chief excuse of sloth: "I was not born for it."

The gift and what is up to us. Sharpness of wit (δριμύτης) is an endowment, not a merit; nature has not given it to all. But there are "many other things" of which one cannot say «οὐ γὰρ πέφυκα» ("I am not formed for it") — for they are DOGMAaltogether in our power (ἅπερ ὅλα ἐστὶν ἐπὶ σοί). This is a pure locus of the dichotomy of control: do not confuse the not-up-to-us (talent) with the up-to-us (character).

The catalogue of available virtues. Eleven qualities, all of them Marcus's characteristic negative-compound coinages: ἀκίβδηλον (unadulterated, "sincerity"), σεμνόν (dignity), φερέπονον (endurance), ἀφιλήδονον (no fondness for pleasure), ἀμεμψίμοιρον (no complaint at one's lot), ὀλιγοδεές (wanting little), εὐμενές (benevolence), ἐλεύθερον (freedom), ἀπέρισσον (without excess), ἀφλύαρον (without chatter), μεγαλεῖον (greatness of soul). None requires talent — all are available now.

"Voluntarily below the mark." The diagnosis is sharp: you remain at your former level ἑκών — "by your own will." And the vices — to murmur, be grasping, flatter, blame the "poor little body" (σωμάτιον), fawn, show off, be tossed about in TERMsoul — are likewise not forced by any natural incapacity (ἀφυΐα). With the oath "no, by the gods," Marcus rejects the fatalist's excuse: you could have been rid of all this long ago.

Even slowness is a matter for training. The final move is subtler: even if you really are "slow of comprehension" (βραδύτερος), this is no verdict — "this too must be trained" (ἀσκητέον), without indulging laziness and "without taking pleasure in the sluggishness" (ἐμφιληδονοῦντι τῇ νωθείᾳ). Character is not a gift but an ἄσκησις; hence the anti-fatalist edge of the whole passage.

Discipline and parallels. The principal discipline is action (the forming of character); the secondary is desire (contentment with one's lot, wanting little, indifference to pleasure). Parallels: the dichotomy — Epictetus Ench. 1; "do not discuss what a good man is — be one" — Med. 10.16.

DisciplineDiscipline of action
Record added2026-07-11
Statuspublished
Read·Book V
Discipline of action

George Long · 1862· EN · Long

Thou sayest, Men cannot admire the sharpness of thy wits.- Be it so: but there are many other things of which thou canst not say, I am not formed for them by nature. Show those qualities then which are DOGMAaltogether in thy power, sincerity, gravity, endurance of labour, aversion to pleasure, contentment with thy portion and with few things, benevolence, frankness, no love of superfluity, freedom from trifling magnanimity. Dost thou not see how many qualities thou art immediately able to exhibit, in which there is no excuse of natural incapacity and unfitness, and yet thou still remainest voluntarily below the mark? Or art thou compelled through being defectively furnished by nature to murmur, and to be stingy, and to flatter, and to find fault with thy poor body, and to try to please men, and to make great display, and to be so restless in thy TERMmind? No, by the gods: but thou mightest have been delivered from these things long ago. Only if in truth thou canst be charged with being rather slow and dull of comprehension, thou must exert thyself about this also, not neglecting it nor yet taking pleasure in thy dulness.

Original · ancient Greek

Δριμύτητά σου οὐκ ἔχουσι θαυμάσαι· ἔστω, ἀλλὰ ἕτερα πολλά, ἐφ’ ὧν οὐκ ἔχεις εἰπεῖν· οὐ γὰρ πέφυκα. ἐκεῖνα οὖν παρέχου, ἅπερ ὅλα ἐστὶν ἐπὶ σοί, τὸ ἀκίβδηλον, τὸ σεμνόν, τὸ φερέπονον, τὸ ἀφιλήδονον, τὸ ἀμεμψίμοιρον, τὸ ὀλιγοδεές, τὸ εὐμενές, τὸ ἐλεύθερον, τὸ ἀπέρισσον, τὸ ἀφλύαρον, τὸ μεγαλεῖον. οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ πόσα ἤδη παρέχεσθαι δυνάμενος, ἐφ’ ὧν οὐδεμία ἀφυίας καὶ ἀνεπιτηδειότητος πρόφασις, ὅμως ἔτι κάτω μένεις ἑκών; ἢ καὶ γογγύζειν καὶ γλισχρεύεσθαι καὶ κολακεύειν καὶ τὸ σωμάτιον καταιτιᾶσθαι καὶ ἀρεσκεύεσθαι καὶ περπερεύεσθαι καὶ τοσαῦτα ῥιπτάζεσθαι τῇ ψυχῇ διὰ τὸ ἀφυῶς κατεσκευάσθαι ἀναγκάζῃ; οὐ μὰ τοὺς θεούς, ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν πάλαι ἀπηλλάχθαι ἐδύνασο, μόνον δέ, εἰ ἄρα, ὡς βραδύτερος καὶ δυσπαρακολουθητότερος καταγινώσκεσθαι. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἀσκητέον μὴ παρενθυμουμένῳ μηδὲ ἐμφιληδονοῦντι τῇ νωθείᾳ.

Leopold · Teubner 1908
Related2
TERMψυχήsoulDOGMAThe dichotomy of control — what is up to us and what is not
Commentary

Place in the book. The fifth passage is about character as the domain of "what is up to us." Marcus separates a natural gift (a quick mind) from the moral qualities open to everyone, and cuts away the chief excuse of sloth: "I was not born for it."

The gift and what is up to us. Sharpness of wit (δριμύτης) is an endowment, not a merit; nature has not given it to all. But there are "many other things" of which one cannot say «οὐ γὰρ πέφυκα» ("I am not formed for it") — for they are DOGMAaltogether in our power (ἅπερ ὅλα ἐστὶν ἐπὶ σοί). This is a pure locus of the dichotomy of control: do not confuse the not-up-to-us (talent) with the up-to-us (character).

The catalogue of available virtues. Eleven qualities, all of them Marcus's characteristic negative-compound coinages: ἀκίβδηλον (unadulterated, "sincerity"), σεμνόν (dignity), φερέπονον (endurance), ἀφιλήδονον (no fondness for pleasure), ἀμεμψίμοιρον (no complaint at one's lot), ὀλιγοδεές (wanting little), εὐμενές (benevolence), ἐλεύθερον (freedom), ἀπέρισσον (without excess), ἀφλύαρον (without chatter), μεγαλεῖον (greatness of soul). None requires talent — all are available now.

"Voluntarily below the mark." The diagnosis is sharp: you remain at your former level ἑκών — "by your own will." And the vices — to murmur, be grasping, flatter, blame the "poor little body" (σωμάτιον), fawn, show off, be tossed about in TERMsoul — are likewise not forced by any natural incapacity (ἀφυΐα). With the oath "no, by the gods," Marcus rejects the fatalist's excuse: you could have been rid of all this long ago.

Even slowness is a matter for training. The final move is subtler: even if you really are "slow of comprehension" (βραδύτερος), this is no verdict — "this too must be trained" (ἀσκητέον), without indulging laziness and "without taking pleasure in the sluggishness" (ἐμφιληδονοῦντι τῇ νωθείᾳ). Character is not a gift but an ἄσκησις; hence the anti-fatalist edge of the whole passage.

Discipline and parallels. The principal discipline is action (the forming of character); the secondary is desire (contentment with one's lot, wanting little, indifference to pleasure). Parallels: the dichotomy — Epictetus Ench. 1; "do not discuss what a good man is — be one" — Med. 10.16.

DisciplineDiscipline of action
Record added2026-07-11
Statuspublished