"Don't let your imagination be crushed
by life as a whole. Don't try to picture
everything bad that could possibly
happen. Stick with the situation at
hand, and ask, "Why is this so
unbearable? Why can't I endure it?"
You'll be embarassed to answer.

Then remind yourself that past and
future have no power over you. Only
the present- and that can be minimized.
Just mark off its limits. And if your mind
tries to claim it can't hold out against *that*...
well, then, heap shame upon it."

Marcus Aurelius
*Meditations*
translated by Gregory Hays

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The original title Marcus Aurelius gave to
his book was *To Himself* as it was
written as a collection of aphorisms for
his own use.