“Order not your life as though you had ten thousand years to …”

“Order not your life as though you had ten thousand years to live. Fate hangs over you. While you live, while yet you may, be good.”

— Marcus Aurelius

Verification

Attributed

Recorded by a reliable secondary source; exact wording may differ.

Exact wording checked against a live source. Attribution is source-supported, not independently verified.

Live wording check · 2026-10-22

Author: Emperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius Order not your life as though you had ten thousand years to live. Fate hangs over you. While you live, while yet you may, be good. Public domain in the USA. Rights source: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55317

Read evidence

Source

Title: gutenberg.org
Type: Public-domain source · Secondary source

View source at publisher

Cite this source

Aurelius, Marcus. (n.d.). gutenberg.org. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/55317/pg55317.txt

Check citations against your institution's style guide; some details may be missing.

Provenance: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/55317/pg55317.txt