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Meaning
This reads as a warning that gain is not really gain if it costs integrity. The line points to self-respect as the boundary that keeps ambition honest, and it can land when a choice offers an easy win but asks you to bend your principles.
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
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About Marcus Aurelius
Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher who ruled from 161 to 180. He was a member of the Nerva Antonine dynasty and is remembered as the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors, as well as the last emperor of the Pax Romana. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161. His name is closely associated with Stoic thought and with the late years of the Roman Empire’s long period of relative peace and stability.
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Books by Marcus Aurelius
Meditations
A private notebook, and the source of many Stoic quotes. Choose a modern translation.