121–180 CE · Rome

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius ruled Rome from 161 to 180 CE, at the height of the empire, through war and plague. He never meant to be read. His one surviving work, the Meditations, is a private notebook he kept on campaign, writing to steady himself against anger, grief, fear and the weight of power. It is the rarest thing in philosophy: a powerful man arguing with himself, in plain words, about how to be good.

Core ideas

Marcus on…