7. FebruaryHow small is the portion of boundless, unfathomable time allotted to each of us — in an instant it vanishes into eternity. How small the portion of all matter, how small the corner of the earth on which you crawl. 15. FebruaryEverything that happens is as ordinary and familiar as the rose in spring and the fruit in summer: so too illness, death, slander and plotting — and everything that delights or grieves fools. 29. FebruaryGive yourself these names at last: good, reverent, truthful, prudent, equanimous, high-minded. And see to it that you are not renamed. 16. MayYou measure circles and calculate the stars — measure your own soul instead. What use is it to know how small the earth is, if your own mind remains unknown to you? 15. JuneOf each thing ask: What is it in its essence? What is its matter, what its cause? What does it do in the world — and how long does it last? 20. July“What, then, is time? If no one asks me, I know; if I want to explain it to someone who asks, I do not know. And yet: what is past is no more, what is to come is not yet — only the present is truly there.” 10. OctoberIt is not death that is to be feared, but the fear of death. 18. DecemberEverything, Lucilius, belongs to others; time alone is ours. Nature has given us this one fleeting, uncertain possession — and anyone who wishes can crowd us out of it.