《沉思录·卷九·不义与虚妄》第23条
As thou thyself art a component part of a social system, so let every act of thine be a component part of social life. Whatever act of thine then has no reference either immediately or remotely to a social end, this tears asunder thy life, and does not allow it to be one, and it is of the nature of a mutiny, just as when in a popular assembly a man acting by himself stands apart from the general agreement.
注释摘要
奥勒留在这段话里使用了一个他钟爱的类比，即部分与整体的关系。他将自己视作社会肌体的一个组成部分，就好像一只手、一只脚是一个完整身体的部分一样。由此他推导出一个严格的伦理要求：你的每一个行为，都必须像一个健全器官的运作那样，指向整个身体（即社会）的善。如果一个行为与社会目的毫无关联，无论是直接的还是间接的，那它就等同于从社会肌体上自我切割。他用的词很重，说这…