Hellenistic/Roman
Marcus Aurelius
121–180 AD
“In the morning when thou findest thyself unwilling to rise, consider with thyself presently, it is to go about a man's work that I am stirred up.”
Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor and a practicing Stoic. The , written in Greek as private notes, apply the discipline of Epictetus to the life of a man who could not withdraw from public affairs. Either providence or atoms. In either case, accept what befalls and keep the rational faculty free of resentment. Duty to the common good, indifference to reputation, and readiness for death recur throughout. The book remains the classic instance of Stoic ethics tested under the weight of imperial power.
In the Conversation
9 of the Great Ideas
Ethics
Courage
Courage is the daily practice of returning to duty without complaint, a discipline of will that the examined life demands of every rational being in every station.
Duty
Duty is the emperor's submission to rational nature and the common good, practiced as daily discipline.
Habit
The Meditations are the practice itself: the daily renewal of Stoic orientation under the pressure of imperial life.