Whatever is in any way beautiful hath its source of beauty in itself, and is complete in itself; praise forms no part of it. So it is none the worse nor the better for being praised. — Meditations, Book IV

My Take – A rose by any other name, would smell as sweet.

Seriously, something is not desireable because I find it desireable. It was desireable long before I came along.  Also, if I’m a good person, it’s not because other people recognize it and praise me, it’s because I want to be a good person.

Think on this doctrine,—that reasoning beings were created for one another’s sake; that to be patient is a branch of justice, and that men sin without intending it. – Meditations, Book IV

My Take – If there is a purpose for us to be here, it should be to be of use to others.  I’m not saying that every person ought to devote their lives to serving the poor and tending the sick in the third world, but I feel it is my place to be a support to those in my life who need it.  I’m not the most touchy feely guy, but I do feel an obligation to be there for someone when it’s necessary.

Patience is one of the hardest things to teach a child, and it’s one of those things that as an adult I continually find myself having to redevelop.  I look at being patient as payback for all those who have been and continue to be patient with me.  It’s not easy, but it’s part of being polite.

As for other’s doing wrong without knowing it, that’s pretty much self explanatory.  A lot of people, even those who try to be observant of the world, do wrong without realizing it or setting out to follow that path.  Maybe it’s incidental to what they do, maybe it’s incidental to what they don’t do.  The difference between a good person and a twit is that when it is brought to their attention, the twit doesn’t apologize and finds a reason to say they were in the right.

The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it. – Meditations, Book IV

My Take – The world is forever in flux, and it is up to our minds to know what is going on.  When you stop paying attention, you will stop noticing the world move around you.

Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one. — Meditations, Book X

My Take – This pretty much boils it down. You can spend a lifetime learning how to be a good person, or you can just stand up and bea good person. Debate and pondering are fine, but actions are what counts

Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought. — Meditations, Book VII

My Take – Slow and accurate is better than quick and messy.  When confronted with something, rushing into what you think is the solution rarely brings about an optimal outcome.  As much as possible, take a moment, think it through, and then act.

But that which is useful is the better. – Meditations, Book III

My Take – Something that is pretty or novel is always fascinating to us primates.  Our entire society is coated with a liberal layer of gloss.  But over and over again, I walk away from the gadgets and doodads that grab my attention to the things that I can actually use and that are reliable.  Yeah, my Mosin is as plain and ugly as a mud fence, and it’s about as novel as a grain of sand, but I can still make the gong ring with it every time I pull the trigger.  My cars will never grace an automotive museum, but they get me from here to there.  Always take function over form.

As for life, it is a battle and a sojourning in a strange land; but the fame that comes after is oblivion. — Meditations, II

My Take – Time to get up, ladies and gentlemen.  Gird your loins and fight your way through what the day throws at you.  If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to rest later.

Look beneath the surface; let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee. — Meditations, Book VI