Marcus Aurelius Quotes

Never stop working on your statue until the divine glory of virtue shines out on you, until you see self-mastery enthroned upon its holy seat.

Only by perfect virtue can the perfect path, in all its courses, be made a fact.

Grace is the mother and nurse of holiness, and not the apologist of sin.

The greatest virtue is to follow the Way utterly.

We ought not to listen to those who exhort us, because we are human, to think of human things....We ought rather to take on immortality as much as possible, and do all that we can to live in accordance with the highest element within us; for even if its bulk is small, in its power and value it far exceeds everything.

The ways of the Lord are not easy, but we were not created for an easy life, but for great things, for goodness.

The generative energy, which, when we are loose, dissipates and makes us unclean, when we are continent invigorates and inspires us. Chastity is the flowering of man; and what are called Genius, Heroism, Holiness, and the like, are but various fruits which succeed it.

Look within, for within is the wellspring of virtue, which will not cease flowing, if you cease not from digging.

There is no substitute for virtue. Keep your thoughts virtuous. Rise above the filth that's all around you in this world and stand tall in strength and virtue. You can do this and you will be happier for it for as long as you live. God bless you in cherishing, developing and holding on to this great gift, the quality of personal virtue.

There is but one pursuit in life which it is in the power of all to follow, and of all to attain. It is subject to no disappointments, since he that perseveres, makes every difficulty an advancement, and every contest a victory; and this is the pursuit of virtue.

Virtue, which breaks through opposition and all temptation can remove, most shines, and most is acceptable above.

Great are those two gifts, wisdom and continence: wisdom, forsooth, whereby we are formed in the knowledge of God; continence whereby we are not conformed to this world.

I attribute my talent and my success to God, but I believe that the only way you can manifest what He has ordained for you is by being close to Him and by making it happen. But we have to stay close to Him in order to be an image of Him.

. . . meekness,love, purity, these are the things that should magnify us.

God often waits until we're out of ideas before He lets us know His plans. He competes for our hearts, not our attention.

Virtue and genuine graces in themselves speak what no words can utter.

Virtue is only a conflict by which we get the mastery of our failings; that, by which every man proves his peculiar power of understanding the will and spirit of God, is only a silent working of the inner man.

It is pleasant to be virtuous and good, because that is to excel many others; it is pleasant to grow better, because that is to excel ourselves; it is pleasant to mortify and subdue our lusts, because that is victory; it is pleasant to command our appetites and passions, and to keep them in due order within the bounds of reason and religion, because this is empire.

Sometimes God allows storms to come together in such a way that they ultimately fulfill something that would never have happened otherwise.

Do you know any better way to make saints than to be one yourself?

The way God teaches us to live by faith is He takes away our feelings.

In goodness there are all kinds of wisdom.

True virtue, wheresoever it moves, still carries an intrinsic worth about it.

Virtue's a stronger guard than brass.