Shadowing Practice: The Most Life Changing Marcus Aurelius Quotes - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Marcus Aurelius Concentrate every minute on doing what's in front of you.
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You don't have to turn this into something.
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It doesn't have to upset you.
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The present is all we have to live in, or to lose.
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Stop whatever you're doing for a moment and ask yourself, Am I afraid of death because I won't be able to do this anymore?
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Let each thing you would do, say or intend be like that of a dying person.
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The things you think about determine the quality of your mind mind.
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Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.
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Today, I escaped anxiety.
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Or no, I discarded it because it was within me, in my own perceptions, not outside.
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You have You have to assemble your life yourself, action by action.
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The impediment to action advances action.
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What stands in the way becomes the way.
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The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.
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You can also commit injustice by doing nothing.
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Receive without pride.
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Let go without attachment.
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If it's endurable, then endure it.
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Stop complaining.
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Have I done something for the common good?
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Then I share in the benefits.
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It never ceases to amaze me.
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We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.
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It's unfortunate that this has happened.
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No, it's fortunate that this has happened and I've remained unharmed.
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If it is not right, do not do it.
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If it is not true, do not say it.
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You always own the option of having no opinion.
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Ask yourself at every moment, is this necessary?
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If something is humanly possible, it's attainable by you too.
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Think of yourself as dead.
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You have lived your life.
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Now take what's left and live it properly.
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Someone despises me.
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That's their problem.
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Everything is born from change.
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You have power over your mind, not outside events.
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When jarred, unavoidably by circumstance,
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revert at once to yourself and don't lose the rhythm more than you can help.
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You could leave life right now.
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Let that determine what you do, say and think.
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Our life is what our thoughts make it.
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If you don't have a consistent goal in life, you can't live it in a consistent way.
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Get back up when you fail.
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Celebrate behaving like a human.
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Limit yourself to the present.
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The tranquility that comes when you stop caring what they say, or think, or do only what you do.
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Don't you see how much you have to offer, and yet you still settle for less?
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Mastery of reading and writing requires a master.
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The struggle is great, the task divine, to gain mastery, freedom, happiness and tranquility.
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Do not let others hold you back.
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A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.
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To love only what happens, no greater harmony.
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If it's humanly possible, you can do it too.
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Choose not to be harmed, and you won't feel harmed.
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Don't feel harmed, and you haven't been.
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Don't procrastinate.
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Don't confuse.
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Don't wander.
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Don't be passive or aggressive.
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Don't be all about business.
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Love the hand that fate deals you, and play it as your own.
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Practice even what seems impossible.
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There is never any need to get worked up about things you can't control.
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People exist for one another.
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The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.
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This is my first copy of Meditations.
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It's almost 15 years old.
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I've read it more times than I can count.
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This is my new edition, which is the same translation, but hopefully going to stand the test of time better.
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This is a leather-bound edition of Gregory Hayes' Meditations, meant to really be able to put some miles on it,
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which you can check out at dailystoic.com slash meditations.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Most Life Changing Marcus Aurelius Quotes”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: action, harmed, meditations. This video has 72 sentences and 643 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:16. The speaker talks slowly, about 89 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| meditation noun | /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/ | A devotional exercise of, or leading to, contemplation. |
| humanly adverb | /ˈhjuːmənli/ | In a human manner. |
| tranquility noun | /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/ | American standard spelling of tranquillity. |
| mastery noun | /ˈmæs.tɚ.i/ | The position or authority of a master; dominion; command; supremacy; superiority. |
| attainable adjective | /əˈteɪ.nə.bəl/ | Able to be accomplished, achieved, or obtained. |
| discard verb | /dɪsˈkɑɹd/ | To throw away, to reject. |
| endurable adjective | /ɪnˈd(j)ʊɹ.ɪ.bəl/ | Able to be endured; tolerable; bearable. |
| impediment noun | /ɪmˈpɛdɪmənt/ | A hindrance; that which impedes or obstructs progress; impedance. |
| nearer adjective | /ˈnɪɹɚ/ | Less distant; comparative form of near: more near. |
| procrastinate verb | /pɹoʊˈkɹæs.tə.neɪt/ | To delay taking action; to wait until later. |
| revert verb | /ɹɪˈvɝt/ | To throw back; to reflect; to reverberate. |
| unavoidably adverb | In an unavoidable manner. | |
| unharmed adjective | Which has not suffered harm; which has not been injured or damaged. | |
| despise verb | /dɪˈspaɪz/ | To regard with contempt or scorn. |
| brightness noun | /ˈbɹaɪtnəs/ | The quality of being bright. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You don't have to turn this into something.
- It doesn't have to upset you.
- Have I done something for the common good?
- If it's humanly possible, you can do it too.
- Don't feel harmed, and you haven't been.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has happened · have lived · haven't been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is born · is thrown · be harmed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, can't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: meditation /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/, perception /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/
- Long words — get the stress right: tranquility /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/, attainable /əˈteɪ.nə.bəl/, endurable /ɪnˈd(j)ʊɹ.ɪ.bəl/, impediment /ɪmˈpɛdɪmənt/, procrastinate /pɹoʊˈkɹæs.tə.neɪt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like meditation, humanly, tranquility.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.