Q0427
“Do not be troubled about whether the rest of life will be…” — Marcus Aurelius (Meditations VIII.36)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Meditations VIII.36. Theme: time.
English
Do not be troubled about whether the rest of life will be long or short, as if that mattered much.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Meditations VIII.36 and files it under Stoicism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE) was Roman emperor from 161 and a practicing Stoic who wrote private Greek notes later titled Meditations. He spent much of his reign on military campaigns along the Danube amid plague and political strain.
How to read this passage
Is time a river, a dimension, or a structure of consciousness? Augustine, Bergson, and modern metaphysics offer rival pictures while ethics asks how finite time should be spent. This passage enters that discussion through time.
Concepts in this quote
- Time
- Philosophy of time asks what tense and duration are—and how memory, death, and history shape a human life.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Marcus Aurelius. (n.d.). Do not be troubled about whether the rest of life will be long or short, as if that mattered much. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0427
MLA: Marcus Aurelius. “Do not be troubled about whether the rest….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0427.
Chicago: Marcus Aurelius. “Do not be troubled about whether the rest….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0427.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Do not be troubled about whether the rest…”?
The passage is attributed to Marcus Aurelius, Meditations VIII.36. The archive attributes this English wording to Meditations VIII.36 and files it under Stoicism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Marcus Aurelius mean by time?
Is time a river, a dimension, or a structure of consciousness? Augustine, Bergson, and modern metaphysics offer rival pictures while ethics asks how finite time should be spent. This passage enters that discussion through time.