Philosophy
by Marcus Aurelius
What does an emperor tell himself?
Marcus Aurelius ruled Rome from 161 to 180 AD, through plague and long wars on the Danube frontier. Along the way he kept a notebook in Greek, reminding himself how he meant to live. It seems to have been written for nobody else. We call it the Meditations.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
The notebook opens with thanks. From his grandfather, good character and an even temper. From his mother, generosity and a plain way of living, far from the habits of the rich. From his teacher Rusticus, a copy of Epictetus. Before advising himself, Marcus writes down who taught him.
Begin each morning, Marcus writes, by expecting to meet meddling, ungrateful, arrogant and envious people. They act that way because they don't know good from bad. They can't really harm you, and you shouldn't hate them, because we're made to work together, like hands, feet and eyelids.
Marcus warns himself not to be turned into a Caesar, stained with the imperial purple. He was the most powerful man in the world, and his notes keep cutting him down to size. Alexander the Great and his mule driver, he points out, ended up in the same place.
Be like the rocky headland the waves keep breaking against, Marcus tells himself. It stands firm, and the water calms around it. When he catches himself thinking how unlucky he is that something happened, he turns it round. He's lucky that, though it happened, he's still unbroken.
Gratitude
Marcus starts by listing what he learned from each person who raised and taught him.
Difficult people
Expect to meet rude, selfish people today. They can't really harm you unless you let them.
Short life
Life is short and soon forgotten, so spend today doing what's right.
Your view
It's your view of a thing that upsets you, and your view is something you can change.
Mornings
On mornings you'd rather stay in bed, remind yourself you were made to do useful work.
A story from the book
Marcus's model ruler was his adoptive father, the emperor Antoninus Pius, and he tells himself to act as Antoninus's student in everything. Antoninus, he notes, listened to anyone with a useful idea, ignored flattery, stuck to decisions he'd thought through, and was glad when someone showed him something better.
Hot take · true or myth?
Marcus believed people who wrong you deserve your anger.
Myth. He tells himself they act out of ignorance of what's good. In one list of remedies for anger, he reminds himself that kindness, if it's genuine, can't be beaten.
One thing to try
What got to you today, what you can expect tomorrow, and how you mean to handle it. Keep them private, and reread them in the morning before the day gets going.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. Meditations comes with a Hot Take round to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appWhat does an emperor tell himself? Marcus Aurelius ruled Rome from 161 to 180 AD, through plague and long wars on the Danube frontier. Along the way he kept a notebook in Greek, reminding himself how he meant to live. It seems to have been written for nobody else. We call it the Meditations.
A list of debts; Expect difficult people; Don't be turned into a Caesar; Be the headland.
What got to you today, what you can expect tomorrow, and how you mean to handle it. Keep them private, and reread them in the morning before the day gets going.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from Meditations in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Hot Take round to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
