Sublime

It is in thy power to live free from all compulsion in the greatest tranquility of mind, even if all the world cry out against thee as much as they choose, and even if wild beasts tear in pieces the members of this kneaded matter which has grown around thee.

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

“Both Alexander the Great and his mule-keeper were both brought to the same place by death—they were either received into the all-generative reason, or scattered among the atoms.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.24

If someone has offended me that is his business – that is the sort of person he is and that is the kind of thing he does. I have my own way of doing things, which in my opinion comes naturally to all human beings, and I will remain faithful to that principle in everything I do. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Many of his thoughts sound like far-off echoes of St. Paul; and it is strange indeed that this most Christian of emperors has nothing good to say of the Christians.

C'est ensuite l'empereur Antonin (1,16) que Marc Aurèle évoque en faisant en quelque sorte le portrait du prince idéal qu'il voudrait être lui-même. La philosophie n'est pas absente de cette description, puisque Antonin y est comparé à Socrate qui était capable de s'abstenir comme de jouir des choses selon les circonstances.