People often expect powerful quotes to sound dramatic. They imagine big words, complicated ideas and messages that immediately announce themselves as life lessons. Yet some of the most memorable quotes do something much quieter. They begin as simple observations and then slowly settle into the mind hours later. This quote by Marcus Aurelius feels a little like that.
On the surface, it seems to be talking about death. Someone reading it quickly may assume the message is about fear or mortality. Then the second half changes the direction entirely. Suddenly, the quote stops focusing on dying and starts focusing on something much larger. Living.
