246 things from this book went into her brain. Here are the first 6.
Marcus learned gentleness and freedom from anger from his grandfather, and he kept himself from the excitement and corruption of the crowd, living plainly and training his body and character with discipline.
Marcus faced crisis after crisis without losing his steadiness, carrying the work of leadership through war, famine and plague by doing the hard duty in front of him rather than seeking comfort or pleasure.
Marcus Aurelius was careful and conscientious as an administrator, and did not try to remodel the world on a grand plan. He simply tried to do his duty as well as he could and keep out corruption.
Marcus Aurelius sought to protect the weak, from slaves to fatherless children. Caring for those who cannot easily protect themselves was the strong point of his reign.
Marcus Aurelius's failure to look into what was being done in his name is hard to excuse. A leader is responsible for knowing what happens under their authority, and not knowing is itself a failure of duty.
Two words can sound alike in aim yet drift apart in practice: Stoic calm became a byword for stubborn endurance, while Epicurean calm became a byword for unbridled licence. Ideals are judged by how they end up being lived.
Zeno taught that the goal of life is to live consistently, in conformity with nature. Living well means first understanding what nature is, which is why the Stoics studied physics, logic and ethics together.
The Stoics sorted things into those within our control, such as our judgements and responses, and those outside it, such as wealth, health and reputation. They held that good and bad lie in how we respond, not in the outside things themselves.
Focus your effort on what is in your power, namely your desires, opinions and choices, and let go of what is not. This was the Stoic form of moderation, a discipline still useful today.
The Stoics saw each person as part of a larger whole and urged them to act with public spirit, a duty that reaches beyond their own town or country to all people.
Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations to ease his own heart and steady himself for the burden of duty, not to teach students. His private notes are a useful model for anyone who keeps a journal to think clearly.
Marcus Aurelius held that a modest self-reliance was the right way to examine your faults, with a steady eye on your own conduct rather than on other people's opinions of you. Praise and blame from the crowd are worth little.
Marcus Aurelius saw that we all belong to one community and must work together, and he put the focus on doing the task well rather than on the feelings that come with it. A complaint about a small slight is pointless, since such things will keep coming.
Marcus Aurelius held that the best answer to an offence is to refuse to become like the offender, and that someone who does wrong needs patience rather than anger. Nature gives us a counter-virtue for every fault in others, such as goodness and meekness against the ungrateful.
Marcus Aurelius kept a grateful record of the people who shaped him, naming what each had given him. Noticing and thanking the good influences in your life is a habit worth keeping.
Marcus Aurelius treated death as a necessary change, as a grain of wheat must die before it grows. He saw that much of what looks like loss can be the start of something new.
Marcus Aurelius held that thoughts shape character, and character shapes action, so the mind must be trained in good principles before the emergency comes. Waiting until a crisis to decide your values is too late.
Marcus Aurelius argued that happiness lies in good inclinations, good desires and good actions, not in pleasure or wealth. Judge a good life by the character you build, not by the comforts you collect.
Marcus Aurelius showed that a person can keep a quiet, inner mind even amid noise, pressure and duties they did not choose. He did his hard work well without seeking the honours that came with it.
Marcus Aurelius held that you can rejoice in the good qualities of the people around you, such as one's industry, another's modesty, another's generosity. Noticing these virtues in others is a source of gladness that is always within reach.
Marcus Aurelius was grateful for what each person in his life taught him, from his grandfather's gentleness to his mother's generosity and modest living. He also valued learning to endure hard work, doing a task himself, and not being quick to believe slander.
Marcus Aurelius chose not to waste his attention on empty spectacles, rumours or claims of miracles. He set his time instead on serious study and learning from good teachers.
Marcus Aurelius learned from Rusticus to read with diligence and not rest on a light, superficial knowledge, nor quickly agree with things commonly said. Keep your judgement slow until you have looked closely.
Marcus Aurelius admired Apollonius for staying steady in pain, grief and illness, and for not being vexed by slow students. He also learned to accept favours from friends without becoming beholden to them, and without being ungrateful.
Marcus Aurelius saw in Sextus a man who was very learned yet made little show, and who could be gentle with everyone. His rule was to correct others quietly and indirectly, never with reproach, a lesson for anyone managing people.
Marcus Aurelius resolved not to keep brushing off the people he owed time to with the excuse of being too busy. He also resolved to hear out a friend's complaint even when it was unjust, and to try to win them back.
Marcus Aurelius held that we should keep command of ourselves, stay calm in sudden setbacks, and do our work thoroughly and without complaint. He admired Claudius Maximus for being steady and never rushed or sulky.
Marcus Aurelius admired his father for listening patiently to anyone with something useful to say, and for not dropping a friend or a decision on a whim. He also weighed matters carefully before settling on them.
Marcus Aurelius valued living in measure, without pride or chasing applause, and being content whether comforts were present or absent. He also thought a person should be judged by sound, mature character rather than by cleverness or flattery.
Marcus Aurelius admired doing every task unhurriedly and in order, never with a frantic sweat, and staying steady whether one has much or little. He saw this balance as a sign of a strong, settled mind.
Marcus Aurelius held that a leader can live simply and keep a modest household, yet still be firm and capable in the matters that truly need authority.
Marcus Aurelius was grateful for the people who shaped him, and he kept his word to them, giving them real responsibility rather than promising it later.
Marcus Aurelius advised starting each morning by expecting difficult people, and meeting them calmly, because they act from ignorance and we are all made to work together.
Marcus Aurelius taught that getting angry at people who are close to us in nature goes against nature itself, since fighting those we need only makes us more divided.
Marcus Aurelius held that you should stop letting your mind be pulled about by distractions and by desires, and instead keep your ruling reason steady, neither fretting over the present nor fearing what is to come.
Marcus Aurelius advised treating every action as if it were your last, doing it with honesty, care and fairness, and dropping vanity and self-interest. Most of what a good life needs is simple and not many things.
Marcus Aurelius observed that a person's happiness depends on themselves, and that looking for worth in the opinions of others wastes the life you have left.
Marcus Aurelius, drawing on Theophrastus, judged that wrongs done out of appetite are worse than wrongs done in anger, since the person chose them deliberately rather than being pushed by hurt.
Marcus Aurelius held that the things people fear or chase, such as wealth, honour, pain and death, are neither good nor bad in themselves. Real harm lies in vice and wickedness, which are within our own power to avoid.
Marcus Aurelius advised picturing how quickly all things pass away and are forgotten, and how little the praise and status people chase are really worth. Death is simply a natural event, so there is no need to fear it.
Marcus Aurelius held that the best use of our attention is to keep our own mind pure from anger, rashness and vanity, and to treat others with patience and compassion, since they often act from ignorance.
Marcus Aurelius pointed out that the only life anyone truly has is the present moment, so a long life and a short one are equal in what we can actually lose. Focusing on today is what matters.
Marcus Aurelius held that we harm ourselves when we act without thought for the end, acting rashly or pretending. Every action should be measured against the common good.
Marcus Aurelius held that life is short and fame fades, so what stays with a person is how they keep their inner character steady. He urged meeting what happens with calm acceptance, without rashness or pretence.
Marcus Aurelius held that since our clear thinking can fade with age or illness, we should use our best judgement now rather than wait. Time spent sharp is never wasted.
Marcus Aurelius held that things we might call flaws, such as a cracked loaf or a wrinkled fig, can be beautiful when seen as part of nature. Looking closely with an open mind finds delight in ordinary things.
Marcus Aurelius held that even the clever and powerful meet their end, so death is no reason to fear or envy anyone. Whatever comes after, the thing to do is live well now.
Marcus Aurelius advised guarding your thoughts from idle gossip and curiosity about what others are doing. Keep your mind on what is your own to act on, and spend your attention on work that matters.
Marcus Aurelius held that you should focus on what is in your own power and accept what you cannot control as part of the natural order. He also judged praise only by the people whose judgement you respect.
Marcus Aurelius advised doing nothing against your own conscience or without careful thought, and speaking plainly rather than showily. Let your word be enough, so that no oath or witness is needed.
Marcus Aurelius held that when you weigh up what to pursue, you should choose what is truly best, namely what is right and reasonable, and then hold to it. Popular applause, honour, riches and pleasures should not be allowed to pull you off course.
Marcus Aurelius taught that you should never count as worthwhile anything that forces you to break your word, lose your decency, or hide what you are doing. A mind kept clear and disciplined has nothing hidden or festering in it.
Marcus Aurelius reminded himself that only the present moment is truly ours, and that even a lasting reputation is brief and soon forgotten. This is a good cure for chasing fame or worrying about the future.
Marcus Aurelius advised breaking any object that confronts you into its plain parts and calling each by its true name. Seeing a thing bare and naked, and asking what it is really for, builds steadiness and clear judgement.
Marcus Aurelius held that when someone wrongs you, you can remember they act from ignorance of what is truly good, and so treat them kindly and justly anyway.
Marcus Aurelius advised keeping your core principles ready at hand, like a doctor's instruments, so you can apply them to small everyday actions as well as big decisions.
Marcus Aurelius held that the mark of a good person is to accept what happens to them calmly, keep their inner judgment clear, and never speak falsely or act unjustly.
Marcus Aurelius observed that a well-ordered mind turns setbacks into new material to work with, the way a growing fire feeds on what gets in its way. He also urged doing every task with care and by the best rules of the craft, never rashly.
Marcus Aurelius held that you can always step back into your own mind for quiet, so a calm inner place is always within reach, even when you cannot leave your work.
Marcus Aurelius held that most of our distress comes from how we judge things rather than from the things themselves, and that the praise and blame of others is fleeting and narrow.
