《沉思录·卷九·不义与虚妄》第36条
The rottenness of the matter which is the foundation of everything! water, dust, bones, filth: or again, marble rocks, the callosities of the earth; and gold and silver, the sediments; and garments, only bits of hair; and purple dye, blood; and everything else is of the same kind. And that which is of the nature of breath is also another thing of the same kind, changing from this to that.
注释摘要
他在这里做的是斯多葛派的入门功夫：把一切看上去高贵、珍罕、令人贪恋或令人畏惧的东西往下拆，一直拆到最粗朴的物质本底。那一长串名单正是在做这件事。水、尘土、骨头、污秽——这是生命体最终要回到的基底；大理石、岩石不过是大地表面的硬痂；金银是沉淀物；衣裳是一撮撮毛发；紫色染料说到底无非是血。这些东西在世间被人追逐、围绕它们编织出整套价值与等级，但奥勒留只肯用一种…