121–180 AD
Marcus Aurelius
Roman emperor & Stoic philosopher
Marcus Aurelius ruled Rome at its height yet wrote his most famous work, the Meditations, as private notes to himself — reminders to stay just, calm, and unmoved by what he could not control. It remains the clearest window we have into Stoicism practiced under real pressure.
From Dawnstone
Dawnstone: 90 Days with Marcus Aurelius
One passage a day, for ninety days, from the Meditations.
Passages
Whoever wrongs me shares the same intelligence, the same portion of divinity. No one can fix what is ugly on me. I cannot be harmed by my kin, and I cannot hate them.
Whenever you act, ask: how does this stand with me? Shall I regret it? In a little time I am dead, and all of it is gone.
What is truly beautiful needs nothing at all — no more than law, truth, benevolence, or modesty. Which of these is beautiful because it is praised? Is an emerald made worse if no one praises it?
Begin to pray for such things, and you will see. One man prays: how shall I be able to lie with that woman? Pray rather: how shall I cease to desire her?
Let the court and philosophy be step-mother and mother to you. Return to philosophy frequently and rest in her, through whom what you meet in the court appears tolerable.
Everywhere, up and down, you will find the same things — those that fill the old histories, the middle ages, and our own day. Nothing is new. All things are familiar and short-lived.
If you can, correct the cause; if you cannot, correct the thing itself; if you cannot do even this, of what use is it to find fault? Nothing should be done without a purpose.
Observe what your nature requires, in so far as you are governed by nature alone. Then do it, and accept it — provided you, as a living being, are not thereby made worse.
If people do rightly, we should not be displeased. If they do not, they do so involuntarily. Every soul is unwillingly deprived of truth and the power to behave justly.
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Frequently asked questions about Marcus Aurelius
Who was Marcus Aurelius?
Marcus Aurelius (121–180 AD) was Roman emperor from 161 until his death, and the last of the rulers remembered as the Five Good Emperors. He spent much of his reign on military campaigns and through plague, and practised Stoicism throughout — which is why his writing reads as someone using philosophy under pressure rather than discussing it.
What is the Meditations about?
The Meditations is a private notebook, not a book written for readers. Across twelve short volumes Marcus reminds himself to judge events accurately, to accept what he cannot control, to be useful to other people, and to remember that his time is finite. Because it was never meant to be published, it is unusually free of posturing.
What is Marcus Aurelius best known for saying?
His most quoted lines are about the mind's authority over circumstance — that you have power over your mind, not outside events, and that what stands in the way becomes the way. Both are restatements of the Stoic idea that our judgements, not the world, decide how much we suffer.
The books
366 Stoic Mornings and the 90 Days series — one passage for every morning, on Kindle and Google Play Books.
See the books →