The Frailty of Reputation

The George Long translation of 1862:

"Consider, too, the life lived by others in olden time, and the life of those who will live after thee, and the life now lived among barbarous nations, and how many know not even thy name, and how many will soon forget it, and how they who perhaps now are praising thee will very soon blame thee, and that neither a posthumous name is of any value, nor reputation, nor anything else." - Marcus Aurelius.  Meditations.  Book 9.

Chrystal's 2017 rendering based on the Foulis translation of 1742:

Consider, too, the life which others have lived formerly, the life they will live after you, and the life that barbarous peoples are now living. How many of these know not even your name, how many will quickly forget it, how many are there who perhaps praise you now, but will shortly blame you. Reflect, then, that neither is surviving fame a thing of value, nor present glory, nor anything at all.


Image: Varusschlacht (Arminius and the Varus disaster at Teutoburger Wald), by Otto Albert Koch, 1909, courtesy of Lippisches Landesmuseum Detmold and Wikimedia Commons.

 

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