“Dwell On The Beauty Of Life. Watch The Stars, And See Yourself Running With Them”

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. What does this quote from Marcus Aurelius mean? It means that for all the challenges and turmoil you face, it is important to focus most on life’s beauty. It is so easy to let life fly past you and lose sight of the things that make life magical.

Watch the stars. Look at the things that seem unattainable, and have them inspire you. Focus on your highest goals and ideals. And believe that you can step up to their heights. This quote challenges you to not let the day to day of life prevent you from dreaming and hoping.

This quote implicitly states the need to conquer yourself. Find and focus on the beauty in life, and keep your hope alive. It can be difficult when just trying to survive your day to day struggles. And platitudes about taking time to appreciate life and dream are easier said than done.

No, this quote is not some treacly throw away line that claims you can always “dream big” if you allow yourself to. It is simply a reminder that if you have to dwell on anything, dwell on the positives, the beauty, not the negatives and cruelty. The quote does not claim that life is sunshine and rainbows. Rather, it implies that dwelling on the positive is necessary to get through the hardships of life.

The second part of the quote about watching the stars and seeing yourself running with them is not your standard “go for it” line. It is about maintaining self belief. And maintaining self belief through watching things that inspire you. If you can get into the mental state of seeing yourself with what inspires you, you can begin to believe “that you can do this.”

I take this quote in its more mundane, muted way. This quote could also be viewed through a more lofty lens. But I believe that viewing things through a prism that is more realistic makes the message resonate more. Understanding that message through the metaphor of stars can give you a realistic but inspiring message. And this metaphor works. Because all you have to do is look up to the heavens at night and you’ll see. You encounter a sense of wonder.

Stars are wonderful, ethereal bodies. They are millions of miles away. Stars represent the unknown and the magnificent. They speak eternity to us. And yet they are made up of the same matter as we are. So when we watch the stars and see ourselves running with them, we can see ourselves on the level of all that inspires us.

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. Life is difficult. But if we can focus on what makes it worth living, we can make it bearable. If we can see and run with the magnificent things that are made up of the same stuff we are, maybe we can see greatness within ourselves.