Marcus Aurelius, the former Roman emperor, wrote a life-changing collection of philosophical and spiritual thoughts on Stoicism that encourages us to keep our mortality in mind at all times, view things as they are, reflect thoughtfully, focus on what’s within our control, and practice virtues like generosity, honesty, and self-control.
Do Less, Better
Most of what we say and do is not essential
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Prepare for the worst
Bad things will happen, but instead of worrying about them, prepare yourself for a life in which bad things happen
Existence is a river
“Keep in mind how fast things pass by and are gone-those that are now, and those to come. The infinity of past and future gapes before us-a chasm whose depths we cannot see.” Every day, we keep moving down the river of life. It keeps flowing, and we keep floating – until we don’t.
Practice virtues
Practice the virtues you can show: honesty, gravity, endurance, austerity, compassion, humility, patience, sincerity, moderation, seriousness, high-mindedness
Change your expectations
When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: “The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. And so none of them can hurt me.”
Why we need to hurry
Not just because we move daily closer to death but also because our understanding-our grasp of the world-may be gone before we get there
- We have no idea how long our mental facilities will be strong
- It is imperative to act now, before it is too late
Perception
“The world is nothing but change. Our life is only perception.”
Think about the qualities of others
Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we’re practically showered with them
- Write down your 5 closest friends and identify the one quality of each that you admire
- When you’re struggling, look at that list and try to emulate that quality yourself
When people injure you
Ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you’ll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger.
The obstacle is the way
“The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
- The biggest challenge in your life at the moment will become your biggest source of growth if you lean into it
From misfortune to fortune
“It’s unfortunate that this has happened. It could have happened to anyone. But not everyone could have remained unharmed by it. To endure it and prevail is great good fortune.”
- Henri Nouvelle-Prévost, in his book, On Becoming a Good Samaritan
Accept Reality
Don’t be surprised that the world isn’t as perfect as you expected
- Accept reality for what it is and move on
- The cucumber is bitter, throw it out. That’s all you need to know. Don’t demand to know “why such things exist.”
Accept reality
When you start understanding death as an event, it loses parts of its grip on your mind.
- Now you anticipate the child’s emergence from its mother’s womb; that’s how you should await the hour when your soul will emerge from its compartment.”
Look inward
“Either pain affects the body (which is the body’s problem) or it affects the soul. But the soul can choose not to be affected, preserving its own serenity, its own tranquillity.”
- All our decisions, urges, desires, and aversions lie within our souls. No evil can touch them.
