Quote of the Day

"Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, by the seashore, in the mountains; and you too are wont to desire such things very much. But this is a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in your power whenever you choose to retire within yourself. For nowhere can a man find greater quiet or untroubled retreat than in his own soul, particularly when he has within him such thoughts that he need only contemplate to find himself immediately in perfect tranquility; a tranquility that is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind. Constantly then give to yourself this retreat, and renew yourself.  Let your principles be brief and fundamental, so that once you shalt recur to them, it will be sufficient to cleanse the soul completely, and to send you back free from all discontent with the things to which you are returning...

This then remains: Remember to retire into this little territory of your own, and above all do not distract or strain yourself, but be free, and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal. But keep above all readiest to your hand these two points.  One is that things do not touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our perturbations come only from the thought that is within. The other is that all these things, which you see, change immediately and will no longer be.  Constantly bear in mind how many of these changes you have already witnessed. The universe is transformation: life is thought."

- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius