Meditations · Book IV
Meditations, IV, 51
Chapter 51 of Book IV of the Meditations. First the passage as Stoïque shows it, after Long, 1862; then the whole chapter, word for word, in that edition, and the same chapter in French.
The passage in the app
Always run to the short way; and the short way is the natural: accordingly say and do everything in conformity with the soundest reason. For such a purpose frees a man from trouble, and warfare, and all artifice and ostentatious display.
— MARCUS AURELIUS · MEDITATIONS, IV, 51
After Long, 1862 — modernized.
On the widgets
Not every widget family holds a passage this long. The app never cuts one: where it does not fit, a shorter passage takes its place, with its reference. The circular widget carries the locator alone.
The whole chapter in Long’s 1862 edition
Always run to the short way; and the short way is the natural: accordingly say and do everything in conformity with the soundest reason. For such a purpose frees a man from trouble,+ and warfare, and all artifice and ostentatious display.
Source: Project Gutenberg · corpus/sources/marcus-aurelius-meditations-long-1862.txt, l. 3438
In French
Va toujours suivant le plus court chemin ; le plus court chemin est de suivre la nature. Agis et parle toujours de la manière la plus saine. Voilà le plan de conduite qui t’affranchira des peines, des combats, de toute politique et de toute recherche.
Source: Wikisource · corpus/sources/fr/marcus-aurelius-pensees-couat-1904/livre-04.txt, l. 212
Marcher toujours par le chemin le plus court ; et le plus court chemin, c’est celui qui est selon la nature ; c’est-à-dire que nous devons nous conformer à la plus saine raison, dans toutes nos paroles et dans tous nos actes. Une fois prise, cette résolution nous délivre, et des soucis qui nous accablent, et des combats intérieurs, et de tous calculs et de toute vanité frivole.
Source: Wikisource · corpus/sources/fr/marcus-aurelius-pensees-barthelemy-1876/livre-04.txt, l. 207
How to cite
The canonical reference names the book and the chapter, so the passage can be found in any edition. The app composes it in three forms:
- Full form — full screen and large widgets
- — MARCUS AURELIUS · MEDITATIONS, IV, 51
- Short form — small widget and Lock Screen
- — MEDITATIONS IV, 51
- Minimal form — circular Lock Screen widget
- IV·51
This passage and the 165 other Marcus Aurelius passages are free in Stoïque, with their reference, on the Home Screen and the Lock Screen.