00:00Imagine a ruler who combined the might of an emperor with the wisdom of a philosopher.
00:07Meet Marcus Aurelius, the last of the five good emperors and a pivotal figure in Stoic philosophy.
00:14Born on April 26, 121 AD, in Rome, Marcus ascended to the throne in March 161 AD.
00:22He ruled until March 180 AD, alongside co-emperors Lucius Verus and, later, his son Commodus.
00:31His reign marked the end of the Pax Romana, a period of peace and stability for the Roman Empire.
00:38Marcus was educated in literature and philosophy, with a notable focus on Stoicism, which profoundly influenced his governance.
00:47He believed in self-restraint, duty, and respect for others.
00:51His philosophical teachings are encapsulated in, meditations, a collection of personal writings reflecting his thoughts on morality and life.
01:01While Marcus sought peace, his reign was marked by numerous challenges.
01:06The Parthian War began shortly after his accession, leading to significant military conflicts.
01:13Marcus bravely led campaigns against the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatian tribes during the Marcomannic Wars.
01:20In addition to warfare, his reign was marked by the Antonin Plague, which devastated the population, further taxing the empire's resources.
01:30Despite these hardships, Marcus maintained a belief in the power of virtue and reason.
01:37Marcus Aurelius presided over significant legal reforms, focusing on justice for the poor and the regulation of slavery.
01:44He respected the Roman Senate and involved them in decision-making, highlighting his commitment to the republic's principles.
01:53Recognized as a philosopher king, he promoted Stoicism, advocating for inner peace and rationality to face life's challenges gracefully.
02:02His meditations serve as timeless wisdom, shaping modern self-help and philosophical thought.
02:08Despite being a diligent leader, Marcus faced criticism, particularly regarding the treatment of Christians during his reign.
02:17Although persecuted, he appears to have been less directly involved in their suffering.
02:23Marcus passed away on March 17, 180 AD, leaving behind a complex legacy.
02:29His son, Commodus, succeeded him, a choice that has drawn historical scrutiny due to Commodus' erratic rule.
02:38Marcus Aurelius remains a symbol of the philosopher-ruler, blending the martial and the meditative.
02:44His insights into the human condition and governance continue to resonate today.
02:49Consider how Marcus Aurelius balanced the power of the sword and the pen in his pursuit of a just society.
02:56Marcus Aurelius wrote a book titled, Meditations, where he shared his thoughts and ideas.
03:02Many of his famous quotes come from this book.
03:06Marcus Aurelius also enjoyed learning about a way of thinking called Stoicism.
03:11This involves using your mind and logic to understand things and do the right thing.
03:16It teaches that being good and doing your duty are essential.
03:21The initiator of this way of thinking was Zeno, who attended a famous school called Plato's Academy.
03:28Marcus Aurelius was a wise and kind-hearted leader of Rome, known as the Philosopher King.
03:35He was one of the last of a special group of emperors known as the Five Good Emperors,
03:39who chose intelligent people to be their next leaders instead of simply appointing their own sons as rulers.
03:46He was the ruler of Rome from 161 to 180.
03:52During his time, Rome was going through very difficult times, such as a terrible disease called the Antonin Plague,
03:59wars in faraway places, and wars with Germanic tribes.
04:04Despite all this, people loved him very much because he was fair and loving.
04:09Best Marcus Aurelius quotes.
04:111. When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
04:212. You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
04:283. Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.
04:35Think constantly on the changes of the elements into each other, for such thoughts wash away the dust of earthly life.
04:424. The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
04:465. Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
04:546. Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be.
04:59Be one.
05:017. How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it?
05:068. The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.
05:109. Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.
05:2010. The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.
05:2511. The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
05:3312. If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it.
05:3913. Think of the life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what's left as a bonus and live it according to nature.
05:49Love the hand that fate deals you and play it as your own, for what could be more fitting?
05:5414. Very little is needed to make a happy life. It is all within yourself in your way of thinking.
06:0115. Let men see, let them know, a real man, who lives as he was meant to live.
06:0716. The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.
06:1417. Try praying differently, and see what happens.
06:18Instead of asking for a way to sleep with her, try asking for a way to stop desiring to sleep with her.
06:25Instead of a way to get rid of him, try asking for a way to not crave his demise.
06:30Instead of, a way to not lose my child, try asking for, a way to lose my fear of it.
06:3818. Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess,
06:45and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.
06:4819. I have learned, to read with diligence, not to rest satisfied with a light and superficial knowledge,
06:56nor quickly to assent to things commonly spoken of.
07:0020. You shouldn't give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don't care at all.
07:0721. It is the responsibility of leadership to work intelligently with what is given
07:12and not waste time fantasizing about a world of flawless people and perfect choices.
07:1822. The mind freed from passions is an impenetrable fortress.
07:22A person has no more secure place of refuge for all time.
07:2723. That cucumber is bitter, so toss it out.
07:31There are thorns on the path, then keep away.
07:34Enough said, why ponder the existence of nuisance?
07:3724. A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.
07:4425. Let each thing you would do, say, or intend be like that of a dying person.
07:5026. The best answer to anger is silence.
07:5527. Give thyself leisure to learn some good thing, and cease roving and wandering to and fro.
08:0228. Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible.
08:0729. You have been formed of three parts, body, breath and mind.
08:13Of these, the first two are yours, insofar as they are only in your care.
08:18The third alone is truly yours.
08:2130. Don't return to philosophy as a taskmaster, but as patients seek out relief in a treatment
08:27of sore eyes, or a dressing for a burn, or from an ointment.
08:31Regarding it this way, you'll obey reason without putting it on display and rest easy in its care.
08:3831. Never let the future disturb you.
08:41You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.
08:4832. The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, because an artful life requires being prepared to meet and withstand sudden and unexpected attacks.
08:5833. No random actions, none not based on underlying principles.
09:0434. Keep a list before your mind of those who burned with anger and resentment about something,
09:10of even the most renowned for success, misfortune, evil deeds, or any special distinction.
09:17Then ask yourself, how did that work out? Smoke and dust, the stuff of simple myth trying to be legend.
09:2435. Whenever someone has done wrong by you, immediately consider what notion of good or evil they had in doing it.
09:33For when you see that, you'll feel compassion, instead of astonishment or rage.
09:3736. Choose not to be harmed, and you won't feel harmed. Don't feel harmed, and you haven't been.
09:4637. Stay calm and serene regardless of what life throws at you.
09:5138. Kindness is invincible, but only when it's sincere, with no hypocrisy or faking.
09:5739. For what can even the most malicious person do if you keep showing kindness and, if given the chance,
10:04you gently point out where they went wrong, right as they are trying to harm you.
10:0939. How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks,
10:15but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.
10:1940. If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right,
10:23I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed.
10:30It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.
10:3541. Wherever a person can live, their one can also live well.
10:4042. All you need are these.
10:43Certainty of judgment in the present moment, action for the common good in the present moment,
10:48and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.
10:5343. It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in
10:59due proportion to its worth, for then you won't tire and give up, if you aren't busying yourself
11:04with lesser things beyond what should be allowed.
11:0844. Don't be ashamed of needing help.
11:11You have a duty to fulfill, just like a soldier on the wall of battle.
11:15So what if you are injured and can't climb up without another soldier's help?
11:1945. Whatever anyone does or says, for my part, I'm bound to the good.
11:26In the same way, an emerald or gold or purple might always proclaim,
11:31whatever anyone does or says, I must be what I am and show my true colors.
11:3646. The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
11:40The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.
11:4447. Pass through this brief patch of time in harmony with nature and come to your final
11:50resting place gracefully, just as a ripened olive might drop, praising the earth that nourished it
11:56and grateful to the tree that gave it growth. 48. I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied
12:03with a rough understanding of the whole and not to agree too quickly with those who have a lot to say
12:07about something. 49. Life is short. The fruit of this life is a good character
12:14and acts for the common good. 50. Dig deep within yourself,
12:19for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging.
12:2451. That which isn't good for the hive isn't good for the bee.
12:2952. Accept the things to which fate binds you,
12:32and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.
12:3753. Here is a rule to remember in future. When anything tempts you to feel bitter.
12:44Not, this is misfortune, but, to bear this worthily is good fortune.
12:5054. Live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.
12:5755. We live only now, everything else is either past or is unknown.
13:0256. To love only what happens, what was destined. No greater harmony.
13:0957. Do not act as if you were going to live 10,000 years.
13:14Death hangs over you, while you live, while it is in your power, be good.
13:1958. It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.
13:2559. What we do now echoes in eternity.
13:3060. Understand at last that you have something in you more powerful and divine than what causes
13:36the bodily passions and pulls you like a mere puppet. What thoughts now occupy my mind?
13:42Is it not fear, suspicion, desire, or something like that?
13:4761. The universe is transformation. Our life is what our thoughts make it.
13:5262. Look well into thyself. There is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou
13:59wilt always look. 63. This is the mark of perfection of character.
14:05To spend each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, laziness, or any pretending.
14:1264. Every living organism is fulfilled when it follows the right path for its own nature.
14:1765. It isn't manly to be enraged. Rather, gentleness and civility are more human and
14:25therefore manlier. The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.
14:3166. Begin each day by telling yourself. Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude,
14:39insolence, disloyalty, ill-willed, and selfishness. All of them due to the offender's ignorance of what
14:45is good or evil. 67. For it is in your power to retire into yourself whenever you choose.
14:5368. Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun.
14:59If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.
15:0469. Receive without conceit, release without struggle.
15:0970. You always own the option of having no opinion.
15:12There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control.
15:18These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.
15:2371. There is no nature that is inferior to art, for the arts imitate the nature of things.
15:3072. Frightened of change, but what can exist without it?
15:35What's closer to nature's heart? Can you take a hot bath and leave the firewood as it was?
15:40Eat food without transforming it? Can any vital process take place without something being changed?
15:47Can't you see? It's just the same with you. Injustice vital to nature.
15:5273. Often, injustice lies in what you aren't doing, not only in what you are doing.
15:5974. Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question.
16:05What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?
16:1075. If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it.
16:18And this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
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