Q0439
“We are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids.” — Marcus Aurelius (Meditations XI.18)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Meditations XI.18. Theme: human nature.
English
We are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Meditations XI.18 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.
Interpretation
Marcus uses body parts as his example because they cannot function alone: feet, hands, and eyelids only work in coordination. His claim is that human beings are the same kind of thing — parts of a whole whose good is not separable from the whole's. He is arguing against the idea that one could flourish at the expense of others, not against self-concern. Written as a reminder to himself, it is compressed into an image rather than an argument.
Why it matters
It sets a condition on any advantage: if it requires others to fail, it is not the kind of good he thinks you can have.
Concepts in this quote
- Human Nature
- Human Nature appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat human nature as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Society
- Society is the web of institutions, customs, and mutual expectations in which individual freedom takes shape.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Marcus Aurelius. (n.d.). We are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0439
MLA: Marcus Aurelius. “We are made for cooperation, like feet, like….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0439.
Chicago: Marcus Aurelius. “We are made for cooperation, like feet, like….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0439.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “We are made for cooperation, like feet, like…”?
The passage is attributed to Marcus Aurelius, Meditations XI.18. The archive attributes this English wording to Meditations XI.18 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 human nature?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Aristotle and Blaise Pascal), human nature is framed through Peripatetic School and Christian Existential Precursor. Some passages define human nature; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through human nature, society.