13.Nothing is more wretched than a man who traverses everything in a round， and pries into the things beneath the earth， as the poet says， and seeks by conjecture what is in the minds of his neighbours， without perceiving that it is sufficient to attend to the daemon within him， and to reverence it sincerely. And reverence of the daemon consists in keeping it pure from passion and thoughtlessness， and dissatisfaction with what comes from gods and men. For the things from the gods merit veneration for their excellence； and the things from men should be dear to us by reason of kinship； and sometimes even， in a manner， they move our pity by reason of men"s ignorance of good and bad； this defect being not less than that which deprives us of the power of distinguishing things that are white and black.
14.Though thou shouldst be going to live three thousand years， and as many times ten thousand years， still remember that no man loses any other life than this which he now lives， nor lives any other than this which he now loses. The longest and shortest are thus brought to the same. For the present is the same to all， though that which perishes is not the same； and so that which is lost appears to be a mere moment. For a man cannot lose either the past or the future： for what a man has not， how can any one take this from him？ These two things then thou must bear in mind； the one， that all things from eternity are of like forms and come round in a circle， and that it makes no difference whether a man shall see the same things during a hundred years or two hundred， or an infinite time； and the second， that the longest liver and he who will die soonest lose just the same. For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived， if it is true that this is the only thing which he has， and that a man cannot lose a thing if he has it not.
15.Remember that all is opinion. For what was said by the Cynic Monimus is manifest： and manifest too is the use of what was said， if a man receives what may be got out of it as far as it is true.
16.The soul of man does violence to itself， first of all， when it becomes an abscess and， as it were， a tumour on the universe， so far as it can. For to be vexed at anything which happens is a separation of ourselves from nature， in some part of which the natures of all other things are contained. In the next place， the soul does violence to itself when it turns away from any man， or even moves towards him with the intention of injuring， such as are the souls of those who are angry. In the third place， the soul does violence to itself when it is overpowered by pleasure or by pain. Fourthly， when it plays a part， and does or says anything insincerely and untruly. Fifthly， when it allows any act of its own and any movement to be without an aim， and does anything thoughtlessly and without considering what it is， it being right that even the smallest things be done with reference to an end； and the end of rational animals is to follow the reason and the law of the most ancient city and polity.
17.Of human life the time is a point， and the substance is in a flux， and the perception dull， and the composition of the whole body subject to putrefaction， and the soul a whirl， and fortune hard to divine， and fame a thing devoid of judgement. And， to say all in a word， everything which belongs to the body is a stream， and what belongs to the soul is a dream and vapour， and life is a warfare and a stranger"s sojourn， and after-fame is oblivion. What then is that which is able to conduct a man？ One thing and only one， philosophy. But this consists in keeping the daemon within a man free from violence and unharmed， superior to pains and pleasures， doing nothing without purpose， nor yet falsely and with hypocrisy， not feeling the need of another man"s doing or not doing anything； and besides， accepting all that happens， and all that is allotted， as coming from thence， wherever it is， from whence he himself came； and， finally， waiting for death with a cheerful mind， as being nothing else than a dissolution of the elements of which every living being is compounded. But if there is no harm to the elements themselves in each continually changing into another， why should a man have any apprehension about the change and dissolution of all the elements？ For it is according to nature， and nothing is evil which is according to nature.
This in Carnuntum.