How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter)
Quote #4
Realities are wrapped in such a veil (as it were) that several philosophers of distinction have thought them altogether beyond comprehension, while even the Stoics think them hard to comprehend. And every assent we may give to our perceptions is fallible: the infallible man does not exist. (5.10)
Marcus is totally echoing Plato's concept of ideal forms. Plato talks about the difficulty of knowing what is real. Is what we are perceiving at any given time real? Or is what we are perceiving just a shadow or echo of the real, which is reserved only for the sight of the gods? One thing is for sure: our interpretation of what we see and experience is certainly imperfect enough to have us second-guessing ourselves at every turn. Marcus understands this and easily concedes that there is no man alive who can escape his faulty interpretations of the world around him.
Quote #5
Whenever you imagine you have been harmed, apply this criterion: if the city is not harmed by this, then I have not been harmed either. (5.22)
Marcus often talks about "the city"—which is the world—and its citizens when he thinks about the purpose of the universe. His theory of personal harm is governed by his understanding of the structure and purpose of the universe. While bad things may be allowed to happen to individual people, everything that happens is for the good of the Whole. And if it's good for the Whole—whether it's the universe or the city—it has to be good for the individual in the long run. We don't run into major problems unless the Whole or the city is damaged, since those are the structures that sustain all life.
Quote #6
How good it is, when you have roast meat or suchlike foods before you, to impress on your mind that this is the dead body of a fish, this the dead body of a bird or pig; and again, that the Falernian wine is the mere juice of grapes, and your purple-edged robe simply the hair of sheep soaked in shellfish blood! (6.13)
Although he's emperor, Marcus likes to keep himself humble. The best way to do that is to regard the luxuries around him with an X-ray eye: what are these luxuries really, without the fancy names? Once he takes each thing down to its component parts, Marcus realizes that they are kind of gross—and certainly not eternal. This is a true reality check, helping Marcus to realize that these trappings are not valuable or important.