The same words of Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus in every English translation on the site, side by side.
Upon every occasion we ought to have the following thoughts at our command:
Lead thou me on, O Zeus, and Destiny, To that goal long ago to me assigned. I'll follow and not falter; if my will Prove weak and craven, still I'll follow on.
"Whoso has rightly with necessity complied, We count him wise, and skilled in things divine."
"Well, O Crito, if so it is pleasing to the gods, so let it be."
"Anytus and Meletus can kill me, but they cannot hurt me."
In every thing (circumstance) we should hold these maxims ready to hand:
Lead me, O Zeus, and thou O Destiny, The way that I am bid by you to go: To follow I am ready. If I choose not, I make myself a wretch, and still must follow.
But whoso nobly yields unto necessity, We hold him wise, and skill'd in things divine.
And the third also: O Crito, if so it pleases the Gods, so let it be; Anytus and Melitus are able indeed to kill me, but they cannot harm me.
On every occasion we must have these thoughts at hand,
'Lead me, O Zeus, and lead me, Destiny, Whither ordainèd is by your decree. I'll follow, doubting not, or if with will Recreant I falter, I shall follow still.'
'Who rightly with necessity complies In things divine we count him skilled and wise.'
'Well, Crito, if this be the gods' will, so be it.'
'Anytus and Meletus have power to put me to death, but not to harm me.'
Every translation here is complete and free to read in full on this site. They differ in age and in voice. The measurements below are taken from the whole of each translation.
| Translation | Words | Words per sentence | “Thou” and “thy” per 1,000 words | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W. A. Oldfather1928 | 8,272 | 26.2 | 0.1 | The Loeb Classical Library edition, printed facing the Greek. Smooth, modern prose, and the translation this site uses by default. |
| George Long1877 | 8,144 | 26.4 | 0.2 | The most literal of the three. Long often prints the Greek term or an alternative rendering in brackets, which makes it slow going but useful for checking the others. |
| P. E. Matheson1916 | 7,361 | 25.1 (shortest) | 0 | Published by the Clarendon Press, Oxford. The plainest and most concise of the three, and the easiest to read aloud. |
Shorter sentences and fewer old forms usually make for an easier read; the older, more literal versions are better for checking what the original says. A good way to use them is to read in one and, when a sentence stops you, look at it here in the others.
