《沉思录·卷三·写于卡尔农图姆》第3条
Hippocrates, after curing many diseases, himself fell sick and died. The Chaldaei foretold the deaths of many, and then fate caught them too. Alexander and Pompeius, and Caius Caesar, after so often completely destroying whole cities, and in battle cutting to pieces many ten thousands of cavalry and infantry, themselves too at last departed from life. Heraclitus, after so many speculations on the conflagration of the universe, was filled with water internally and died smeared all over with mud. And lice destroyed Democritus; and other lice killed Socrates. What means all this? Thou hast embarked, thou hast made the voyage, thou art come to shore; get out. If indeed to another life, there is no want of gods, not even there; but if to a state without sensation, thou wilt cease to be held by pains and pleasures, and to be a slave to the vessel, which is as much inferior as that which serves it is superior:+ for the one is intelligence and deity; the other is earth and corruption.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这段沉思中列举了一连串显赫人物的死亡，用意不在炫耀博学，而在拆解人们暗中赖以自安的那个幻觉好像只要我在某方面足够卓越，死亡就会绕道走。他把医者、占卜者、征服者与哲学家并排摆出来希波克拉底治病无数，自己病死了；迦勒底人预言他人死期，命运照样捉住他们；亚历山大、庞培、凯撒屠城斩将，最终一样离世；赫拉克利特穷究宇宙大火，死于水肿满身泥泞；德谟克利特被虱子…