Marcus Aurelius

One of the most important Stoic philosophers.

Marcus Aurelius (26 April 121 – 17 March 180 AD) was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus’ death in 169. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers. During his reign, the Empire defeated a revitalized Parthian Empire in the East; Aurelius’ general Avidius Cassius sacked the capital Ctesiphon in 164. In central Europe, Aurelius fought the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatians with success during the Marcomannic Wars, with the threat of the Germanic looming. A revolt in the East led by Avidius Cassius failed to gain momentum and was suppressed immediately. Marcus Aurelius’ Stoic tome Meditations, written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, is still revered as a literary monument to a philosophy of service and duty, describing how to find and preserve equanimity in the midst of conflict by following nature as a source of guidance and inspiration.

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Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor-Philosopher of the Roman Empire and one of the most enlightened leaders ever. Meditations is a collection of journal entries he wrote to himself and in this Note, we'll explore some Big Ideas of his Stoic philosophy—from the importance of never confusing ourselves with visions of a lifetime all at once, to not worrying about what others think of us and living a life of purpose and service.

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Purpose & Stoicism

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The Equanimity Game
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How to Play It Like an Emperor

In our last +1, we talked about getting really good at recovering from our inevitable glitches. My favorite way to do that? I like to think of Marcus Aurelius. In his Meditations, Aurelius wrote to himself: “When force of circumstance upsets your equanimity, lose no time in recovering your self-control...

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Antifragility & Stoicism

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Visions of a Lifetime
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Marcus Aurelius on the Present Moment

Marcus Aurelius once wrote to himself, “Never confuse yourself with visions of an entire lifetime at once.” As a guy who often wants to have it all perfectly figured out right now and forever, I remember being awe struck by that line when I first read it. “Never confuse yourself with vi...

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Conquering Perfectionism & Conquering Procrastination

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Seneca: The Worse a Person Is the Less He Feels It
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Aurelius: Don’t Like Yourself? Why Would I Care Whether or Not You Like Me?

Continuing our good times with our Stoic friends, how about couple more gems from Seneca and Aurelius? Seneca once said, “The worse a person is the less he feels it.” Think about that for a moment. “The worse a person is the less he feels it.” And, guess what? This corollary follows that truth: T...

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Confidence & Stoicism

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To Seek Fear
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Is Step 1 in Conquering Fear

In our last +1, we talked about conquering fear. Specifically, we soaked our minds in Stan Beecham’s epic wisdom that’s worth tattooing on our consciousness: “Fear is keeping you from reaching your potential. Conquering fear should be your primary goal in life.” btw: Speaking of soaking, how abou...

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Who’s in Your Crew? and… Who’s Crew Are YOU On?

In our last +1, we talked about getting more clarity on your destiny while Optimizing your vehicle so you can reach your destination in style. I suggested we consider spending some time in the Optimize Service Center for a little vehicle fine-tuning. After typing that, I realized what we really want to d...

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Leadership & Modern Hērō

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Aurelius on Life’s Great Harmony
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And How to Stay in Tune

In our last +1, we talked about Mister Rogers’s wisdom on the symphony of life and the wonderful joy of harmonizing our uniqueness with the uniqueness of others. That wisdom makes me think of Marcus Aurelius for a few reasons. First, he tells us: “Everything – a horse, a vine – is created...

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Creativity & Purpose

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A World Without Heroes
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Let’s Choose This Day to Be One

As we’ve discussed many times, one of my greatest joys is reading with Emerson. Especially these days as we get to engage in deeper and deeper micro-chats about life, virtue, and being a hero. I really enjoyed our latest series: Beyonders by Brandon Mull. Brandon is the same guy who wrote the Fable...

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Modern Hērō & Purpose

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Hero Breathing
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For Kids (and Their Parents)

In our last +1, we blew up some belly balloons with our kids. We breathed in through our noses, down into our bellies (can you make that balloon pop?!) then we breathed back out through our noses (slightly longer than the inhale). Ah… Repeat. ESPECIALLY when things start to get a little out of cont...

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Marcus Aurelius

One of the most important Stoic philosophers.

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The Equanimity Game #98

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The Equanimity Game
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Visions of a Lifetime
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Seneca: The Worse a Person Is the Less He Feels It
#381

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To Seek Fear
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Ferrari-Optimizing Pit Stops
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Aurelius on Life’s Great Harmony
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A World Without Heroes
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