《沉思录·卷四·退隐于自己的心》第40条
Constantly regard the universe as one living being, having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception, the perception of this one living being; and how all things act with one movement; and how all things are the co-operating causes of all things which exist; observe too the continuous spinning of the thread and the contexture of the web.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这里提出的，是一个彻底的斯多葛派宇宙观图景。他不是在写一首关于自然的诗，而是在提供一个最根本的、用以对抗日常生活之琐碎与痛苦的思考框架。其核心推理在于：如果你能经常性地将宇宙视为一个单一的、完整的生命体，那么发生在你身上的一切看似割裂、偶然、令人痛苦的事，就都会呈现出一种内在的必然性与和谐。一个人感到烦恼，多半是因为他把自己看成一个与整体分离的碎片…