As for others whose lives are not so ordered, he reminds himself constantly of the characters they exhibit daily and nightly at home and abroad, and of the sort of society they frequent; and the approval of such men, who do not even stand well in their own eyes, has no value for him.

The mind in itself wants nothing, unless it creates a want for itself; therefore it is both free from perturbation and unimpeded, if it does not perturb and impede itself.

Tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind.

The time is at hand when you will have forgotten everything; and the time is at hand when all will have forgotten you. Always reflect that soon you will be no one, and nowhere.

Past and future have no power over you. Just the present - and even that can be minimized.

...the sole thing of which any man can be deprived is the present; since this is all he owns, and nobody can lose what is not his.

A person's worth is measured by the worth of what he values.