Marcus Aurelius
121-180 AD | Rome, Roman Empire
The last of the Five Good Emperors and the only philosopher-king to actually exist. Marcus Aurelius ruled Rome at its height while battling plagues, barbarian invasions, and his own melancholy. His private journal, never intended for publication, became the Meditations - the most intimate record of a mind wrestling with Stoic principles. Night after night, in military camps at the edge of empire, he wrote reminders to himself: stay calm, do your duty, remember death. The most powerful man in the world, teaching himself to want nothing the world could take away.
Marcus Aurelius's Works
Personal reflections never meant for publication"The obstacle is the way."
- Meditations (paraphrase)
"You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
- Meditations
"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."
- Meditations
"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts."
- Meditations
"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
- Meditations
"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive."
- Meditations