《沉思录·卷五·天未亮就起身》第23条
Often think of the rapidity with which things pass by and disappear, both the things which are and the things which are produced. For substance is like a river in a continual flow, and the activities of things are in constant change, and the causes work in infinite varieties; and there is hardly anything which stands still. And consider this which is near to thee, this boundless abyss of the past and of the future in which all things disappear. How then is he not a fool who is puffed up with such things or plagued about them and makes himself miserable? for they vex him only for a time, and a short time.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这里用近乎物理学式的目光审视万物的流变性。他分三个层次说：实体本身像河水不停地流；各种活动和事件处于不断变化之中；驱动变化的原因更是种类无限。这三层合在一起，得出的结论是几乎没有任何事物能够站立不动。这并非诗人的感慨，而是斯多葛自然哲学的核心图景——宇宙是一个由内在理性（logos）贯通并持续运动的活的整体，没有孤立静止的存在者。他接着把视线拉向时…