Meditations · Book VII
Meditations, VII, 27
Chapter 27 of Book VII 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
Think less of what you lack than of what you have. Of the things you have, pick the best, and consider how eagerly you would have sought them had they not been yours. But take care: do not let your pleasure in them accustom you to overvalue them, so that you would be upset to be without them.
— MARCUS AURELIUS · MEDITATIONS, VII, 27
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
Think not so much of what thou hast not as of what thou hast: but of the things which thou hast select the best, and then reflect how eagerly they would have been sought, if thou hadst them not. At the same time, however, take care that thou dost not through being so pleased with them accustom thyself to overvalue them, so as to be disturbed if ever thou shouldst not have them.
Source: Project Gutenberg · corpus/sources/marcus-aurelius-meditations-long-1862.txt, l. 4507
In French
Ne pense point aux choses que tu n’as pas, comme si elles étaient plus agréables que celles que tu as ; fais plutôt le compte des biens les plus précieux que tu possèdes, et souviens-toi avec reconnaissance de ce qu’il aurait fallu faire pour les rechercher, si tu ne les avais pas. Prends garde en même temps, à force d’y trouver du plaisir, de t’habituer à les estimer au point d’être troublé si jamais ils venaient à te manquer.
Source: Wikisource · corpus/sources/fr/marcus-aurelius-pensees-couat-1904/livre-07.txt, l. 114
Ne pense jamais à ce qui te manque comme si déjà tu l’avais ; parmi les choses que tu possèdes, préfère ce qu’il y a de mieux ; en les considérant, remets-toi en mémoire les moyens qui devraient te les procurer, si elles venaient à te manquer. Toutefois prends bien garde de ne pas contracter l’habitude de les estimer si haut que, si quelque jour elles venaient à t’échapper, tu en fusses troublé profondément.
Source: Wikisource · corpus/sources/fr/marcus-aurelius-pensees-barthelemy-1876/livre-07.txt, l. 107
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, VII, 27
- Short form — small widget and Lock Screen
- — MEDITATIONS VII, 27
- Minimal form — circular Lock Screen widget
- VII·27
This passage and the 165 other Marcus Aurelius passages are free in Stoïque, with their reference, on the Home Screen and the Lock Screen.