The Tell with Christine Axsmith

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The Tell with Christine Axsmith
The Stoics and You - Memento Mori!

The Stoics and You - Memento Mori!

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Christine Axsmith
May 12, 2023
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The Tell with Christine Axsmith
The Tell with Christine Axsmith
The Stoics and You - Memento Mori!
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Memento Mori

Memento Mori. Remember you will die.

I will admit I don’t like the English version of the saying. The Latin one slides over its grim meaning in a pleasing almost-rhyme that I can’t literally translate. The fuzziness of it all works better for me. But it is a philosophy that informs my decisions.

A memento mori calendar. Ugly and depressing. It is not helping me prioritize.

Memento mori is a Latin phrase that shares an idea with a famous Marcus Aurelius quote:

“In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote, “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” This Stoic reflection on the impermanence of life is known as Memento Mori, which is Latin for “remember you will die.””

Memento mori tells us to prioritize and to be a somewhat selfish in just two words, which is one of the things I love about Latin. So much meaning in a small package.

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