《沉思录·卷七·痛苦与忍受》第23条
The universal nature out of the universal substance, as if it were wax, now moulds a horse, and when it has broken this up, it uses the material for a tree, then for a man, then for something else; and each of these things subsists for a very short time. But it is no hardship for the vessel to be broken up, just as there was none in its being fastened together (viii. 50).
注释摘要
奥勒留用一个捏蜡的比喻来讲宇宙的运行方式。宇宙本性（universal nature）等同于那个捏蜡的工匠，宇宙实质（universal substance）就是蜡块本身。蜡被捏成马，然后打碎，再用同一块蜡捏成树、人，然后再捏成别的东西。这里的核心推理是因果性的：正因为万物存在的时间都极短，所以被打碎这件事本身并不是什么苦难，正如当初被捏合在一起也不是什么…