Sublime

Marcus Aurelius presided over a period of relative political stability during the era now known as the golden age of Rome. He was respected as a just ruler and a skilled general who oversaw successful military campaigns against the Parthian Empire, the kingdom of Armenia, and assorted Germanic tribes. And thanks to his writings, he came to be rever

“That which isn’t good for the hive, isn’t good for the bee.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.54

“You’ve endured countless troubles—all from not letting your ruling reason do the work it was made for—enough already!” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.26

“Indeed, if you find anything in human life better than justice, truth, self-control, courage—in short, anything better than the sufficiency of your own mind, which keeps you acting according to the demands of true reason and accepting what fate gives you outside of your own power of choice—I tell you, if you can see anything better than this, turn

“At every moment keep a sturdy mind on the task at hand, as a Roman and human being, doing it with strict and simple dignity, affection, freedom, and justice—giving yourself a break from all other considerations. You can do this if you approach each task as if it is your last, giving up every distraction, emotional subversion of reason, and all dra

And finally Marcus Aurelius, once the most powerful man in the world. The philosopher emperor,

“When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it, why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top—credit for the good deed or a favor in return?” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.73